The CSTO Joint Staff is 19 years old

On April 28, 2003, in Dushanbe, the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, inspired by the need to create a military staff body responsible for preparing proposals and implementing decisions in the sphere of military cooperation, decided to create a permanent working body - the CSTO Joint Staff.

The Joint Staff is tasked with forming, operating and using Troops (Collective Forces), preparing and conducting joint operational and combat training activities together with the defense departments of the member States, military and technical cooperation, coordinating joint training of personnel and specialists for the armed forces of the member States, and organizing the functioning of the CSTO Crisis Response Center.

Speaking about the 19th anniversary, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, noted that the CSTO Joint Staff closely monitored the development of the situation in collective security regions. "Last year and the beginning of this year were very difficult for all of us, but the multinational team of the Staff accomplished all tasks successfully," Anatoly Sidorov said.

The CSTO Joint Staff has developed documents on the creation and improvement of all components of the Organization's collective security system - the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces, the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian region, the Peacekeeping Forces and the Collective Air Forces. New documents are being developed for the Organization, including the CSTO Protected Multiservice Communication Network Schemes, agreements on joint logistical and medical support for the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) and others.

The main focus of the Joint Staff is to ensure quality preparation and conduct of joint operational and combat training.

Last year alone, joint trainings were successfully conducted on the territories of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Russia, which helped to increase the readiness of the Troops (Collective Forces) and demonstrated their determination to protect the sovereignty of our countries and ensure collective security in the CSTO area of responsibility. This was evidenced by the practical actions of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces in January of this year in providing assistance to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In 2022, the practice of military trainings aimed at increasing the defense potential of the Organization, improving combat training, coordination and maintaining the readiness of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) to carry out tasks to ensure collective security will continue.