"Effective interaction": what tasks will the CSTO troops solve at the exercises "Echelon-2021" and "Combat Brotherhood"

On October 18, the exercises of the CSTO troops "Echelon-2021" will start.

This year, the maneuvers are being held for the first time in Tajikistan - previously, all tasks were carried out on the territory of Russia.

The exercises are of an anti-terrorist nature and are aimed at working out the issues of material and technical support (MTO) of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO, which, according to legend, will have to repel an attack by illegal armed formations (IAF).

According to the press service of the Central Military District (CVD), more than 500 servicemen from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will be involved in the maneuvers.

"The basis of the Russian contingent in the exercise will be the servicemen of the logistical support units of the 201st military base, more than 400 people in total," the RF Ministry of Defense website says.

Syrian Express

On October 12, in an interview with reporters, Deputy Commander of the Central Military District, Lieutenant General Alexei Lemyakin, said that Echelon-2021 will be held taking into account the experience that the Russian army received in the Syrian operation and during the peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"In the course of the exercise, we will work out a wide range of tasks for the material and technical support of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO, taking into account the experience of modern armed conflicts, including in the Syrian Arab Republic and Nagorno-Karabakh," Lemyakin said.

According to the lieutenant general, the participants in the exercise must deploy warehouse infrastructure and field points of mass refueling.

In addition, the servicemen will work out the evacuation of damaged armored vehicles from the battlefield, the delivery of ammunition and various materiel.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov has repeatedly drawn attention to the importance of mastering the Syrian experience in the field of logistics.

At the end of July, in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda, he said that the actions of the logistics services in the Arab republic are "unique for modern military science and practice."

The deputy head of the military department said that the transfer of military equipment, ammunition and other property to Syria was carried out "on the principles of early efficiency and maximum secrecy for the enemy."

“The experience of the“ legendary ”transfer of significant forces and assets was laid back in the years of the Cuban missile crisis.

But never before in history has it been necessary to deliver such significant material resources at such a distance and in such a short timeframe under the constant threat of both an open military attack from the enemy and in readiness for his dastardly sabotage and terrorist acts, ”explained Bulgakov.

According to the Deputy Defense Minister, the Russian MTO units managed to quickly organize the arrangement of the military units arriving at the Khmeimim airbase and the distribution of the material resources intended for them.

In a short time, the process of servicing military equipment, providing fuel and ammunition was established at the airport.

• Block structures at the Khmeimim airbase, October 2015

• RIA News

• © Dmitry Vinogradov

“Promptly, in particular, a system for countering unmanned aerial vehicles was formed, including their detection and notification of their appearance, suppression of electronic reconnaissance conducted by them.

As a result, we received the “Syrian Express”, in which the provision of Russian troops became comprehensive and uninterrupted, ”Bulgakov said.

According to the military leader, the "Syrian training ground" was fraught with the hardest tests, "but the MTO units passed this" test. "

Bulgakov recalled that the Russian contingent operated in the Arab republic in cooperation with other armed formations.

Thus, the RF Armed Forces gained experience in the material and technical support of the coalition group, which, as the general is sure, will come in handy in the future.

Speaking about the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Bulgakov attributed the operational erection of 30 block-modular towns to the merits of the MTO specialists, which made it possible to create "modern living conditions" for the military personnel of the 15th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Central Military District. 

“To accomplish the task, I emphasize, more than 660 servicemen and workers of civilian specialized organizations and over 50 units of special equipment were involved,” Bulgakov added.

As experts interviewed by RT noted, high-quality logistical support for combat groups often determines success in the theater of operations (theater of operations).

According to them, the approach that is now used in the Russian army is that before the transfer of troops, sites are always prepared for the deployment of military personnel, equipment and ammunition.

“Previously, it often happened that the troops were transferred, leaving them at first without proper support.

Only with the passage of time was the supply of ammunition, material resources adjusted, everyday life and normal maintenance of equipment were organized.

Syria and Karabakh have shown that now it is being done the other way around, and I think that it is important for the CSTO countries to learn this experience, "Dmitry Kornev, founder of the Military Russia portal, told RT.

According to the expert, in the context of the widespread use of UAVs, including among the terrorist international, a significant role is played by parts of the MTO in the operational deployment of communications, reconnaissance and electronic warfare (EW).

• CSTO servicemen at the Rubezh-2021 exercise

• Facebook

• © Ministry of Defense of Russia

In turn, Dmitry Litovkin, editor of the newspaper Nezavisimoye Voennoe Obozreniye, said in a commentary to RT that the Syrian theater of operations is in many ways similar to the conditions of Central Asia.

Therefore, Moscow's allies in the CSTO are interested in integrating the Russian experience into the SAR, the analyst believes. 

“Russia has shown in Syria the ability to organize effective interaction of various forces fighting against militants.

This is the work of the logistics services, and the actions of the combat units directly, which must block and destroy illegal armed groups, ”Litovkin explained.

"The Brotherhood of War"

Echelon 2021 is one of the components of a larger exercise, Combat Brotherhood 2021, which will take place at the Momirak and Harbmaidon training grounds.

More than 5 thousand military men from all six countries - members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will be involved in the maneuvers.

On October 14, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov, chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, announced this information to journalists.

As the commander said, it is planned to involve over 700 pieces of equipment in the events - more than 650 vehicles and armored vehicles, up to 20 aircraft, including Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft and Su-25 attack aircraft, over 20 Mi-8MTV and Mi-24 helicopters, as well as 15 UAVs ...

Within the framework of "Combat Brotherhood - 2021", in addition to "Echelon-2021", two more exercises will be held: "Search-2021", aimed at practicing the organization and conduct of reconnaissance, and "Interaction-2021", during which the tasks of preparation and conducting an operation to localize a border armed conflict.

As experts explain, all three exercises are united by a single concept.

"Echelon" allows you to work out the initial stage of preparation for a joint counter-terrorist operation, "Search" - the detection, assessment of the forces and means of the enemy, "Interaction" - the elimination of conventional illegal armed groups that violated the border of a country - a member of the CSTO.

The CSTO website says that special forces and airborne assault, motorized rifle and artillery units will become participants in Interaction-2021.

"Combat Brotherhood" will end on October 23rd.

Representatives of Serbia, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, military attachés, employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross are invited to the final stage of the exercises.

As Sidorov explained, the legend of "Combat Brotherhood - 2021" provides for various options for the development of events on the Tajik-Afghan border.

According to him, "the range of threats to the military security of the CSTO states remains wide."

• CSTO servicemen at the training ground

• © odkb-csto.org

Recall that in Afghanistan, against the background of a large-scale withdrawal of US troops, hostilities broke out with renewed vigor between the Taliban * and the government army.

Not meeting serious resistance, the Taliban seized power in the republic in mid-August. 

According to Dmitry Kornev, the escalation of violence in Afghanistan has led, among other things, to an increase in the intensity of the training of the CSTO troops.

At the same time, the scenarios that are being practiced during the exercises have not changed significantly.

“In recent years, the CSTO troops are mainly aimed at extinguishing a possible border conflict, moreover, close to Afghanistan, in difficult mountain conditions.

For this, various methods of transferring troops, including landing, are being developed, the skills of reconnaissance, striking and displacing the enemy from the territory of a country - a member of the CSTO, are being honed, ”said Kornev.

Dmitry Litovkin believes that the set of measures within the "Combat Brotherhood", like other exercises of the CSTO, is aimed at preventing the possibility of an escalation of the conflict in connection with the unstable situation in Afghanistan.

“A lot of militants from Syria, Iraq and Libya continue to move to Afghanistan.

These people are much more radical than the Taliban.

In small groups, they may try to penetrate into Central Asia.

It is unrealistic to take the long border with Afghanistan under protection, and therefore the CSTO exercises to repel the invasion of illegal armed groups have a great practical meaning, ”concluded Litovkin.

*