The CENTER-2011 operational-strategic exercise has become the central event in the preparation of the Russian Armed Forces. First Deputy Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Nikolai Makarov is in charge of the exercises. The topic of the exercise is the preparation and use of inter-service groupings of troops to stabilize the situation and conduct hostilities in the Central Asian strategic direction. The tasks assigned to the military are related to repelling an external invasion, as well as fighting terrorist detachments on the territory of Russia and allied territories.
Seven training grounds are located in the territories of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. If you add up the areas of the polygons, you get a square with a side of 4,500 km. The total number of troops and military equipment includes 12,000 officers and soldiers, 50 aircraft, about a thousand units of military equipment, the Caspian flotilla is practically in full force. More than a hundred military echelons were required to transport weapons and personnel. In addition to Russian military units, units of the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are involved in the exercises.
During the exercise, it is planned to call up reservists from the reserve so that they take part in "hostilities" on the equipment on which they will have to fight in the event of a real military threat. Large military formations will not be involved. Combat missions will be distributed among the brigades, which will operate separately. Each brigade will have 15 to 18 missions that may change during the exercise, so officers will have to demonstrate personal initiative, unconventional thinking and leadership skills. The results of the exercises will clearly demonstrate the results of the reform of the Russian Armed Forces, their new qualitative state.
During the exercise, new combat manuals will be tested. Over the past three years, all the old governing documents have been completely revised in accordance with modern conditions, 137 new documents have appeared. Modern charters retained earlier experience, but required commanders to abandon outdated templates, take their own initiative and not blindly follow the decisions of the senior leader, which may not be optimal. The new instructions have become clearer, more rigid and specific, their clear recommendations leave the commanders room for a reasonable initiative.
Nikolai Makarov also expressed his opinion regarding the T-90S tank, which was demonstrated at the last arms exhibition to Vladimir Putin. According to him, only the tower and its filling meet the modern requirements of the Armed Forces, yet the rest needs to be improved. Basically, the questions are related to the potential actions of the tank in the system of interspecific combined arms combat. However, these issues concern not only tank manufacturers, but also other branches of the defense industry.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the RF Armed Forces is also planning to attend the exercise. YES. Medvedev will visit the Chebarkul test site in the Chelyabinsk region on September 21.
The CENTER-2011 exercise was the final test of the capabilities of the current command and control system of the Armed Forces, as well as a test of modern methods and forms of troop actions in various situations.
In parallel, the exercises "COMBAT COMMONWEALTH-2011" (September 11-16) were held at the Ashuluk training ground in the Astrakhan region. The air defense forces of the CSTO Air Force took part in the exercises and worked out issues on the joint use of air defense units and the air forces of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in anti-terrorist actions in the course of a potential border conflict, as well as issues of preparation and conduct of joint hostilities in the Caucasus region. More than 2,000 military personnel, 50 combat aircraft and over 258 air defense units from all countries of the OBKB were involved.
Ahead is the exercise "SHIELD OF THE UNION-2011" (September 16-23). Joint Russian-Belarusian exercises will be held at the Ashuluk training ground in the Astrakhan region and at the Gorokhovets training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The total number of troops and military equipment will be 12,000 servicemen, 50 aircraft and helicopters, about 200 units of other military equipment, as well as an airmobile company (about 100 people) of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The exercises will be conducted with the aim of practicing the use of a unified regional air defense system to repel a simulated air attack and provide cover for ground forces. In addition, attention will be paid to the issues of maneuvering defense in conjunction with air defense units and engineering troops. The nature of the exercise is purely defensive.
