MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Almost 130,000 troops, over 20,000 weapon systems and about 600 aircraft from seven countries will take part in the Tsentr-2019 (Center-2019) strategic command and staff drills on September 16-21, the press office of Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
"Overall, the strategic command and staff drills will involve about 128,000 personnel, more than 20,000 items of armament and military hardware, about 600 aircraft and up to 15 warships and support vessels," the press office said in a statement.
The strategic command and staff drills will mostly run at eight training grounds in Russia: the Totsky and Donguz ranges in the Orenburg Region in the Urals, the Adanak range in Dagestan in the North Caucasus, the Ashuluk range near Astrakhan in south Russia, the Chebarkul range in the Chelyabinsk Region in Southern Urals, the Safakulevo range in the Kurgan Region in south Russia and the Aleyski and Yurginsky ranges in the Atlai and Kemerovo Regions in southern and southwestern Siberia.
Some episodes of the drills will be practiced under special plans at the firing ranges of foreign countries. "In the Caspian Sea, the Caspian Flotilla forces will practice measures in the course of assisting land troops in coastal operations, defending sea lanes and the areas of maritime economic activity," the press office added.
War on terror
The maneuvers will practice measures to employ troops from a coalition of countries in fighting international terrorists and ensuring military security in the Central Asian strategic area, Russia’s Defense Ministry specified.
The Tsentr-2019 strategic maneuvers will focus on evaluating the level of troops’ preparedness, the acquisition of the required skills and raising the level of inter-operability and demonstrating the readiness of the armies from Russia and the Central Asian countries to defend their national interests, the ministry specified.
The Tsentr-2019 command and staff exercises will run in two stages. At the first stage, the troops will practice fighting terrorists, repelling air strikes, conducting reconnaissance and defensive operations. At the second stage, the troops will switch to an offensive to rout the notional enemy, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
Russia will be represented in the drills by troops of the Central Military District and the Caspian Flotilla, a part of forces of the Eastern Military District, paratroopers and military transport aircraft of the Aerospace Force, the ministry said.