| The General Staff is testing a new plan for the use of armed forces As Vladimir Putin recently promised in Kamchatka, exercises in the Russian Armed Forces are becoming permanent. Before the smoke of the operational-strategic command and staff exercise “Mobility-2004” had cleared, not all units transferred from the European part of the country to the Far East returned back, when command and staff exercises of a group of troops and forces began in the north-east of Russia. Their scale is evidenced by the fact that the exercise is led by the Chief of the Main Staff of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko. The event will take a week, but reservists called up from the reserves will generally undergo a month-long training course.
And yesterday, at a meeting with members of the government, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief announced the start of preparations for new “funny battles” - this time in Kyrgyzstan. They are essentially similar to the previous ones, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov clarified, although not as large-scale. But they will have international status: military formations from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan will take part in the exercises. The core of the exercise is the transfer of Russian special forces and airborne units to the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan. After this, a simulation of combat operations will begin at the mountain training ground. Just as in the exercises that just took place, the readiness of transport aviation and permanent readiness units for deployment to unfamiliar distant theaters of military operations will be tested. The training will take place within the framework of the Collective Rapid Reaction Force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
As it turned out yesterday, large-scale exercises taking place one after another, which will continue further, pursue not only a tactical goal - improving combat skills and coordinating units (which, of course, is also necessary), but also a strategic one. During these war games, a new plan for the use of armed forces during a special period and when hostilities break out is tested in practice. The difference between the new plan and the previous Soviet one is that instead of large-scale replenishment of units and formations with reservists, a “prompt build-up of troops and forces” is provided only in threatened areas. The fact is that today Russia can no longer maintain groupings of troops along the entire perimeter of the state. Actually, this is what dictates, the military explains, the need for a new plan that takes into account new challenges and threats.
Vladimir Putin first spoke about changes in the plan for the use of armed forces back in October 2002. Then this was associated with the growing threat of international terrorism, capable of using means comparable to weapons of mass destruction. The key in the president’s speech at the time addressed to members of the government was the promise to “respond with measures adequate to the threats in all places where terrorists are located.” The transparent hint was addressed to Georgia, which is harboring Chechen separatists. In May of this year, Anatoly Kvashnin again returned to the topic of updating one of the main strategic documents. They were told rather vaguely that the main task of the armed forces in the event of a clear military threat was to “seize the strategic initiative.” We are no longer talking about Georgia or terrorists. One of the senior officers of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff defined the plan for the use of armed forces as follows: this is the determination of the probable enemy and scenarios of possible military operations; Finally, this is the so-called decision to fight. The plan, of course, also talks about the countries that should be struck during the “H.”
At the end of this year, a new plan for the use of armed forces will be submitted to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief for approval and will come into force in January 2005. Therefore, the General Staff is in a hurry to work out the most complex elements of the plan in practice. They can be reduced to three main points: air transfer of heterogeneous forces and means when there is a shortage of time, mobilization, interaction with other security agencies. Today, a visiting meeting of the State Duma Defense Committee will be held in the General Staff building, where the legal side of the new plan is expected to be discussed. The main report will be made by the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Anatoly Kvashnin. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Valentin Korabelnikov, will assess the existing and expected future military threats to Russia. Speeches by heads of other main and central departments are planned. It is possible that at a meeting between the military and legislators, General Kvashnin will try to challenge the recently adopted amendments to the Law on Defense, which significantly lowered the status of the General Staff, reducing it to the position of one of the structures of the Ministry of Defense. However, this is a completely different topic. Nikolay POROSKOV |
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