CSTO launches four-day exercise to strengthen collective security response
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is running a strategic command and staff exercise involving the Joint Staff, the Secretariat, and other stakeholders of the CSTO member states from 16 to 19 March, under the leadership of Chief of the Joint Staff Andrey Serdyukov, BelTA reports.
"The exercise is aimed at practicing the preparation of proposals for CSTO bodies regarding the provision of military and military-technical assistance to member states of the organization,” press secretary of the CSTO Joint Staff Vladislav Shchegrikovich said.
In accordance with the plan, the strategic command and staff exercise has four stages to consistently practice the preparation of collective decisions for the formation and deployment of all components of the forces and means of the CSTO collective security system and a set of measures to respond to crises in the Eastern European and Central Asian regions of collective security.
“Upon a set signal, notifications were sent and the personnel of the CSTO Joint Staff and the Secretariat were assembled. Measures were implemented to deploy the functional groups of the CSTO Crisis Response Center and the command posts of national authorities authorized to interact with it," the press secretary reported.
This year, the exercise involves the CSTO Permanent Council, the Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, and the Coordination Service of the Council of Border Troop Commanders.
During the first stage, the focus is on practicing the preparation of proposals and draft decisions for the organization's bodies regarding the formation and rapid deployment of the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces and the provision of military-technical assistance to a member state of the organization.
The second stage involves practicing tasks related to preparing proposals and developing collective decisions for the formation and deployment of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian Region and the provision of military-technical assistance.
The third stage plans to practice tasks for preparing a peacekeeping operation on the territory of a hypothetical CSTO member state.
The fourth stage involves practicing the deployment and use of the joint CSTO unit for radiation, chemical, and biological protection and medical support.
“Each stage concludes with a review of the draft decisions of the organization’s bodies concerning the formation, deployment, and use of troops (collective forces), comprehensive support for them, and the provision of military-technical assistance to states. Upon completion of the strategic command and staff exercise, all draft decisions of the CSTO bodies will be communicated to the states as initial data for the development of planning documents for joint and special exercises conducted within the CSTO framework in September-October of this year in the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Belarus,” the press secretary added.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Majilis deputies had taken up two draft laws on the ratification of CSTO protocols, which update the rules for the deployment of troops and military transportation. The first draft law provides for the ratification of the protocol amending the agreement on the status of the formations of forces and means of the CSTO collective security system dated December 10, 2010. The second document is aimed at improvement of the legal framework, related to the organization and ensuring transportation of military and other formations, as well as military products.
