Representatives of the defense ministries of the CSTO member States have discussed issues of improving the system of joint training of military personnel

On 12 to 13 July of this year, in Moscow, a training and methodological meeting with the heads of basic training and methodological organizations for training military personnel for the CSTO member States and CSTO basic research organizations in the field of military cooperation research was held at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The event was attended by representatives of the military education management bodies of the defense departments of the CSTO member States, the CSTO Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat, the management of basic training and methodological and research organizations, and other military educational institutions.

Speaking to the meeting participants, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, noted that the joint training of military personnel and specialists for the armed forces of the CSTO member States was one of the priority areas of military cooperation within the CSTO.

The Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff said that the system of military personnel training was designed to ensure a high level of military personnel training that met modern requirements.

"Joint training is conducted in four CSTO member States: the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Every year about 2,600 servicemen of the CSTO member States have joint training in 58 military educational institutions in more than 750 specialties. During the years of cooperation in the interests of the CSTO about 20,000 servicemen have been trained in universities of the CSTO member States," Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov said.

In order to solve urgent problems in the system of joint training, the Plan to improve the system of joint training of military personnel for the armed forces of the CSTO member States, which includes activities aimed at the practical implementation of joint training of military personnel and development of scientific work within the CSTO, was approved in September 2021 by the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the CSTO.

The CSTO has created and successfully operates a network of basic training, methodological and research organizations in the field of training of military personnel and specialists, aimed at diffusion of advanced technologies in educational, methodological and scientific activities, scientific support for the development of forces and means of collective security system of the CSTO.

The status of basic educational and methodological organizations of the CSTO has been assigned to 11 military educational institutions that provide training in: combined arms, air defense, missile forces and artillery, military air defense, communications, logistics, information security, electronic warfare, training of personnel of the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces, medical and pharmaceutical specialties, as well as training responsible for ensuring national security and defense capabilities of the CSTO member States.

In addition, 7 specialized research organizations and military educational institutions have been given the status of basic research organizations that carry out scientific, theoretical and practical work on the creation, improvement, training and use of the forces and means of the CSTO collective security system in the study of air defense, missile defense, Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, medical support, electronic warfare, military and technical cooperation of the Organization and the development and use of the aviation component of the CSTO.

The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the leading among the basic training and research organizations of the CSTO member States and the basic organization in the field of training personnel responsible for ensuring national security and defense capabilities of the CSTO member States.

The Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff also informed about the organization of research work during joint trainings in the CSTO format. In order to study topical problems in the development of the forces and means of the CSTO collective security system, representatives (experts) of defense agencies, basic training, methodological and research organizations and the CSTO Joint Staff are involved in annual joint trainings held within the framework of the Organization during operational and combat training activities. Research teams, taking part in joint trainings, develop practical recommendations for resolving problematic issues and identifying areas for the further development of coalition groupings of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) and their use.

"Such approaches make it possible to increase the role of the scientific potential of basic training and research organizations in the development of the military component of the Organization," Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov said.

In the course of the training and methodological meeting a wide range of topical issues of improving the system of joint training of military personnel for the CSTO member States was discussed.

An exchange of views took place on the experience of organizing training in joint groups under unified training programs and plans for highly qualified military personnel in the specialties required for the formations, military forces, military units and subunits of the armed forces, other troops and military formations that are part of the CSTO forces and means of collective security.

In the course of the event, agreed approaches were developed to improve the system of joint training of military personnel for the CSTO member States and research activities.