According to the training plan of the Russian Federation Armed Forces, strategic command-and-staff exercise Center-2015 was conducted under the leadership of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia – First Deputy Defence Minister on September 14-20, 2015.
Military administrative bodies, Central MD troops, the Caspian flotilla, the Airborne Troops, long-range and military transport aviation as well as control bodies and units of the Ministry of internal Affairs, EMERCOM, Federal Security Service, Federal Protective Service and Federal Drug Control Service of Russia, operational group and units of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, making part of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force, participated in the exercise.
In the course of the Center-2015, the readiness and capability of the military administrative bodies of the CSTO member-states to localize international armed conflicts and block illegal armed groups was checked.
Moreover, the military administrative bodies of the CSTO practiced algorithms of special operations.
Practical stages of the Center-2015 exercise took place at more than 20 military land, sea and aviation ranges of the Central and Southern MDs.
Within the exercise, mobilization readiness of troops and their deployment were checked and practiced on the territories of Bashkortostan, the Novosibirsk, Samara and Chelyabinsk Regions.
During the unannounced combat readiness inspection, troops were projected at large distances, for instance, formations of the 41st Central MD Army were projected from Novosibirsk to the Orenburg Region and the 2nd Central MD Army – from Samara to the Astrakhan Region. Long marches of up to 5 thousand kilometers were carried out in the shortest time limits.
Aviation of the Military Districts, redeployed at central MD airfields, performed flights at over 6 thousand kilometers.
The strategic command-and-staff exercise Center-2015 is the final phase within the complex of operational and combat training activities of the Russian Federation Armed Forces in 2015 as well as of the joint combat training activities of the Armed Forces of the CSTO member-states.
The exercise involved over 95 thousand servicemen, more than 7 000 pieces of armament and military equipment, up to 170 aircraft and 20 ships. On the European part of Russia – at the ranges Totsky and Donguzsky – up to 12 thousand servicemen, up to 470 combat vehicles, about 90 tanks, up to 250 infantry fighting vehicles, up to 130 armoured personnel carriers as well as about 220 artillery systems and multiple launch rocket systems.
Military-Industrial Commission
The Supreme Commander got acquainted not only with the new models of military equipment, but also communicated with the young officers who ran this technique during the exercise. Then, during a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission, he put a task before the manufacturers of the equipment and the weapons, RIA Novosti reports.
Starting the meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission, Vladimir Putin congratulated the employees of the defense sector on Gunsmith’s Day and wished them new achievements: "I want to appeal to those who work in the defense industry. I want to congratulate all of you who are present here, and all of your employees, workers, engineers and organizers of production on Gunsmith’s Day. I wish you new achievements and all the best," Putin said.
Speaking about the challenges facing the country's defense industry employees, the president demanded to supply the financial stability of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Russia in conditions of adverse changes in the key macroeconomic indicators. In order to strengthen their economic situation there is a need to attract additional investment, the president said.
"An important task is to ensure the financial stability of the defense enterprises," Putin said, adding that the long-term programs within the framework of the state program of armaments are to determine the fixed prices which shall not be changed during the execution of tasks. The value of the real rate of inflation is determined only at the end of the year, when the obligations under the state contracts are to be fulfilled, the president said.
"However, if an adverse change in the key macroeconomic indicators occurs, the company gets into a difficult situation. They lose profit that could be spent on development, difficulties with budgetary planning appear. In this regard, you need to develop approaches to ensure balanced financing of the government contracts. I emphasize, strictly within the allocated resources," the head of state said.
"It is clear that the rate is changing, and the money has a different appearance, but we do not need paper records, we need, as you often say, things ‘made in metal and coming into service,’' the commander-in-chief continued.
