LOSVIDO TRAINING GROUND /Belarus/, September 6. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) drills in Belarus have demonstrated the high level of the collective forces’ readiness to respond to threats and challenges, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said at the closing ceremony of the exercises.
"The drills demonstrated an increase in the level of readiness of the organization’s collective forces to respond to the emerging challenges and threats to collective security and the national security of member states. Command units gained additional experience in organizing the use of the CSTO collective force in a joint operation in the Eastern European region of collective security," he pointed out.
"Nowadays, the number of hybrid crises is growing, which require special approaches to be resolved. As the conflict potential is rising in a number of regions that border the CSTO’s zone of responsibility, our heads of state take the necessary measures to improve mechanisms aimed at improving military security on a collective basis in order to address the entire range of challenges and threats," Tasmagambetov added.
"The drills involved the wide use of the combat experience of CSTO member states as they practiced military planning and the use of collective security forces and equipment during training missions and joint operations. Over 2,000 troops and members of a special operations unit took part in the exercise, and about 450 units of weapons and equipment were used," he specified.
He stressed that commanders and staff personnel had demonstrated a high level of practical skills in terms of commanding troops on a mission. "Members of the national contingents, in turn, showed a high level of mutual understanding and cohesion, as well as excellent combat skills. All command and training missions were implemented in full," Tasmagambetov concluded.