The Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Anatoly Sidorov informed at an on-line briefing about the readiness of the assets of the CSTO collective security system for the joint operational and strategic training "Combat Brotherhood-2021”

 The Chief of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov announced at the briefing on October 14, 2021: "On the readiness of command bodies and formations of the assets of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to hold a joint operational and strategic training “Combat Brotherhood - 2021'’.

In implementing the priorities in the construction and development of the military component of the Organization, special attention is paid to the joint training of command bodies and formations of the assets of collective security to carry out earmarked tasks.

Since 2017, the entire complex of joint trainings under the auspices of the CSTO has been held in the form of operational and strategic training "Combat Brotherhood", which is the highest form of joint training in the format of the Organization. In this case, all elements of the CSTO collective security system are involved in a single operational and strategic task in one or more regions.

In planning joint training for 2021, we identified a number of tasks to improve the coordination of the command and control bodies and units belonging to the CSTO troops (Collective Forces), to improve the management system of the troops (Collective Forces), and to achieve interoperability of the assets of the Organization's collective security system.

As part of joint trainings, they continue to master tasks related to countering threats to the CSTO member States posed by international terrorist and extremist organizations.

The main efforts are focused on:

improving the mechanisms for making and implementing collective decisions on the use of the assets of the CSTO collective security system and the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) control system;

improving the practical skills of government officials in commanding groups of troops (Collective Forces) of the CSTO and the coordination of collective security system formations during joint (special, peacekeeping) operations;

conducting research on the most topical issues of the development and use of the assets of the CSTO collective security system.

To accomplish these tasks, a set of joint trainings has been planned, distributed throughout the regions of collective security.

In the format of joint training of the command bodies and formations of the CSTO troops (Collective Forces), consideration of anti-terrorist topics continues.

For this purpose, a number of events have already been held in September of this year:

joint training with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Central Asian region "Rubezh-2021" at the Edelweiss training range of the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic;

joint Business Game under the supervision of the CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.

In the course of the Business Game, the CSTO Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat, together with the operational groups of CSTO member States, analyzed the existing training situation in the CSTO area of responsibility and identified a set of measures to be taken in the interests of ensuring collective security, including military security. The game was conducted using the facilities of the CSTO Crisis Response Center, which made it possible to exchange not only text but also graphic information and video online.

Decisions developed in the course of the joint business game formed the basis of training materials of the trainings with the CSTO troops (Collective Forces), which will begin next week, representing the second phase of a joint operational-strategic training, combining joint and special trainings with various components of the CSTO troops (Collective Forces).

The total number of participants in the joint operational and strategic training "Combat Brotherhood-2021", who will carry out tasks within the Troops (Collective Forces) of the CSTO, will be more than 5000 people, will engage more than 700 weapons, military and special equipment, including more than 650 armored vehicles, 20 aircraft, including Su-24MR and Su-25, more than 20 Mi-8MTV and Mi-24, as well as 15 strike drones of various modifications and purposes.

In the Central Asian region, on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan, three trainings will take place:

special trainings with the assets of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics of the CSTO troops (Collective Forces) "Echelon-2021", in the course of which issues of the organization of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics in the preparation and in the course of a joint operation will be practiced;

special trainings with reconnaissance forces "Search-2021", in the course of which the issues of organization and conduct of reconnaissance for the preparation and conduct of a joint operation will be practiced;

joint training with the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces "Interaction-2021", in the course of which the CSTO CRRF will practice the preparation and conduct of a joint operation to localize the armed conflict along the border.

Military contingents from all six CSTO member States participate in each training conducted as part of "Combat Brotherhood". Formations of special forces and interested ministries and departments also participate, making it possible to work on a wide range of issues in the course of the trainings and to identify ways to further improve the joint training of the command and control bodies and formations of CSTO troops (Collective Forces).

At present, military contingents from the CSTO member States are being redeployed to the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan - to the areas where the trainings will take place. Military transport aviation will make more than 35 flights. Aircraft of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation will be involved. Units are also being sent to the Republic of Tajikistan on their own and by rail.

From October 18 to 23, at the firing ranges of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan "Momirak" and "Kharbmaidon", a group of Troops (Collective Forces) will practice the tasks of preparing and conducting joint operations to localize the armed border conflict in the Central Asian region of collective security, related primarily to attempts of international terrorist organizations fighters to penetrate the territory of states, detect and neutralize the so-called "sleeping cells" that are preparing terrorist acts, as well as channels of transportation of weapons, ammunition and explosives.

In the Eastern European region, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the final stage of a joint operational-strategic training – a joint training with the CSTO peacekeeping forces "Indestructible Brotherhood-2021" will take place.

This training will practice a post-conflict settlement in a crisis zone by conducting a peacekeeping operation.

In addition, as part of the improvement of the system of information interaction in the format of the Organization, a set of joint training with officials who ensure the functioning of the Crisis Response Center in the CSTO Joint Staff and the operational groups of bodies authorized in the member States of the Organization to interact with the CRC.

The CSTO is an international regional organization and its activities are conducted in an open manner. In particular, this year members of the Coordination Meeting of the Chairmen of the Committees (Commissions) on Defense and Security of the Parliaments of the CSTO Member States under the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, representatives of the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mongolia, military attachés and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross were invited as observers to the trainings being held in the Republic of Tajikistan.