We have repeatedly talked about the exercises "Center-2019". An event of this magnitude is of interest all over the world. And the interest is not only in terms of reviewing the preparedness of troops, but also in terms of the likely alignment of forces in the event of military conflicts in the region. It is no coincidence that at such exercises one can often see not only the military leadership of the participating countries, but also heads of state and government.
The exercises "Center-2019" were no exception. 20 September the President of Russia and the President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov flew to Orenburg. Officially, the visit of the presidents is explained by the desire to personally see the work of the units of their own army as part of the multinational coalition, but everyone understands perfectly, that Putin and Jeenbekov talked not only about the problems of the army.
In war as in war
What did we see at the Center command post exercise over these five days?? The TV picture was really pretty. Practical shooting from various types of weapons, grabbing objects, landing. Joint work of divisions of armies of different countries in the performance of a combat mission ...
But the task of the exercises was somewhat different.. KShU are primarily conducted for training command and control. And in this case, when the armies of eight countries participate in the exercises, the task expands even more. It is necessary to coordinate the actions of the headquarters of different countries. To work out the joint actions of these headquarters when performing a single task.
remind, Russian servicemen took part in the maneuvers, China, Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 128 thousands of troops, 20 thousand units of equipment, nearly 600 aircraft of various systems and 15 supply vessels. agree, the scale is impressive.
I would like to remind you of the legend of the teachings. Islamists are trying to establish a terrorist regime in a friendly country, in short. For those, who monitors the situation in the region, understandably, that this is a fairly realistic scenario.
Taliban movement (It banned in Russia) today feels quite comfortable in the north of Afghanistan. In particular, recently they attacked Kunduz. Furthermore, there is information about, that the Taliban already control some sections of the border with Tajikistan. And this is actually a direct route not only to Tajikistan, but also to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and further to Kazakhstan.
For some politicians, the stability of this region is like a bone in the throat. So the maneuvers for the troops are practical.. Some units defend their own country, own people, others cover possible enemy offensive routes, still others destroy the enemy. A soldier and an officer should not only theoretically represent their opponent, but also understand the principles of warfare, which he applies.
clear, that the leading roles in the maneuvers are played by Russian and Chinese units. This is due not only to the number of personnel and equipment, submitted by these countries for the exercise, but also the very role of Russia and China in the region. Only the armies of strong states can really resist and destroy the Islamists in full.. And both armies have experience in fighting Islamists, albeit to varying degrees.
In general, the military part of the exercises was quite productive.. Assess the actions of individual commanders and superiors, units and divisions - none of our business. For this there is a higher command and leaders of the participating countries. I think, soon we will hear about the estimates from the respective ministries of defense.
For Russia, units of the Russian army, basically, there was almost nothing new in the teachings. The bloody experience of the war in Afghanistan studied, meaningful. parts, located in close proximity to hazardous areas, practice these actions constantly. But for the armies of other countries, this is really combat work in difficult, unfamiliar circumstances.
I would like to finish the story about the military part of the exercises with the words of the commander of the Central Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Alexander Lapin, which he said before the start of the exercise:
“We have learned to understand each other faster, overcome language and technical barriers. The goal of our service and combat activities remains unchanged - the fight against evil on a global scale.: terrorism, extremism and separatism ".
Shoigu said the complaints of Kudrin "bloated" budget Army
How soldiers defended their homeland
Probably, it sounds strange to some readers. Defend the Motherland in War. Learn to protect. I fully admit the correctness of this point of view. The teachings really learn. But the teachings are always closely watched not only by friends., but also enemies. And Togo, how parts and connections show themselves in exercises, often one or another decision of the opposing party depends.
first, what to pay attention to, is the training of troops, participating in maneuvers. Any commander understands perfectly, that fighting well trained soldiers is much more difficult, than against militias or recruits. I wrote about this above. And headquarters, and subdivisions performed efficiently.
Now the second. We somehow pay little attention to the foreign policy part of the teachings. Although any of us can reasonably explain the balance of forces and the likelihood of a military victory in the event of a coalition of several states. Here is what the Chinese newspaper "Zhemin Ribao" wrote about this.:
“The participation of Chinese military personnel in the exercise testifies to the deep cooperation between the Chinese and Russian armed forces in the joint operation, as well as trials and experiences, important for improving the ability of Chinese commanders to cooperate ".
Yes, Chinese journalists write about the importance of cooperation with Russia for China. But, agree, for Russia, such cooperation is no less important. Yes, we have moved away from the Soviet black-and-white vision of the very concept of "cooperation". Come to understand, that any country primarily solves its own foreign policy tasks. But to solve these problems at this historical stage, it is simply necessary to cooperate with those, whose tasks are similar. China and Russia today confront the global West led by the United States.
But this is not the last victory of Russia in the exercises "Center-2019". Take a closer look at the list of countries participating in the exercise. Indian units participate in the exercise (140 human) and Pakistan (90 human)!
And this despite the fact, that since February of this year, these countries have been in conflict with each other because of the special status of the states of Kashmir and Jammu. Moreover, this conflict has more than once led to casualties on both sides..
Yes, while we cannot talk about the possibility of reconciliation between these countries. And military exercises do not have such a task. However, joint participation in such events offers hope for mitigating the conflict.. Soldiers are faster at negotiating, than diplomats and politicians.
Let's not forget that, that India and Pakistan are no longer "whipping boys". The armies of these countries are strong enough and possess all types of modern weapons.. And the Indian economy today has already become a global factor.
The participation of India and Pakistan gave the Center-2019 maneuvers a completely different status. If last year in the Vostok-2018 exercise, concern was caused by the participation of the Chinese army, then this year, when people are already used to cooperation between China and Russia, the heads of western generals got sick from India and Pakistan. The possible increase in cooperation between us will seriously strengthen Russia., and India.
On the whole,, speaking about the past exercises "Center-2019", we can conclude, that the task was completed in full. And in the military, and in a political sense. Find flaws, "Jambs", inconsistencies can be everywhere. I'm sure, that during these exercises, someone, somewhere, had something incomplete.
It doesn't work like that, so that the huge mechanism works flawlessly. At least one "screw", at least one "nut" someone "will not tighten". The corresponding conclusions will be drawn. However, in general the machine works and performs those tasks, which should. And this is the main point!
Alexander Staver
