Exercises of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Increase of the combat readiness of troops is one of the main priorities of the ongoing military reform in Russia. Combat training contains such critical components as development and improvement of individual skills of servicemen, working out of coherence of military control bodies and their methods of command, organization and maintenance of close interaction between multi-Service and multi-departmental groupings of troops and forces.
The crown of combat training is a large-scale military exercise – the operational-strategic exercises, which uses tens of thousands of people and thousands of pieces of equipment. Today, the role of these exercises is particularly important because with their help the possibilities of control of the Russian Armed Forces on the whole and the newly formed units and formations are checked. In addition, during the exercises modern forms of using troops in all strategic directions are worked out, new ways of organizing and conducting combat by military units are tested. Large-scale exercises, implemented consistently in all Military Districts, give the possibility to systematize the experience of «actions in the new format», to seek and find the best forms of combat use. Taken together, this allows the Armed Forces of Russia to actively develop.
The important role is played by international exercises. Russian servicemen regularly take part in bilateral and multilateral exercises under the auspices of the CSTO, SCO, NATO-Russia Council. Their implementation contributes to strengthening the collective security system, increases the level of confidence between countries-partners, facilitates the search for common approaches to international security.
Exercises of the large, moreover of the international scale are not only the test for the Armed Forces. During such exercises troops interact with law enforcement organs, special services, federal government and local government bodies. All government agencies, more precisely, their abilities to act effectively are subjected to a severe test in emergency situations of armed conflict or war.
Experience shows that the strong defence against any military threats may be guaranteed only if there is an established system of cooperation among all military formations, which allows to quickly deploy forces in the threatened area. Due to the responsibility and complexity of this task the military command of the country’s Armed Forces and political leadership of the Russian Federation attaches great importance to the exercises carried out by the Armed Forces.