Russia happy with CSTO CORF check outcomes
DUSHANBE. June 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Defense Ministry is happy with the surprise check of combat readiness of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Collective Operative Response Force (CSTO CORF), Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Thursday.
"The outcomes of the recent surprise check of the CSTO CORF were high on the agenda of today's meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers. On the whole, we are satisfied with the results," Antonov told reporters on Thursday.
The check proved "the ability of CORF military units to be efficient in the fulfillment of their assignments," he said.
The CORF is a major component of the CSTO, Antonov said. "We need to know how successful and efficient the international forces can be in the fulfillment of their missions and how well their operative deployment and engagement are planned," the deputy defense minister said.
That was the purpose of the check held in the Central Asian collective security region, he said. "Considering the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force from Afghanistan and the threats coming from the territory of that country, this is a key region in the modern context," Antonov said.
The CSTO CORF has never been tested before, he continued.
At the same time, surprise checks have become a custom in the Russian Armed Forces, he added. "Russia has been holding such events on a regular basis since 2012, and it is experienced in doing so," Antonov said.
The checks are "an extremely efficient way of maintaining combat readiness of military units and skills of servicemen," he said.
The CSTO CORF check held in Tajikistan in the period from May 12 to 22 involved senior servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces attached to the CSTO CORF command, as well as military units of the 98th airborne division and the 31st separate air assault brigade. In all, the Russian Armed Forces assigned 457 servicemen, eleven armored vehicles, 52 motor vehicles and eight aircraft.
