Replies

All interested- check this out. Your thoughts?

MOSCOW, February 11 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's armed forces are continuing a strategic staff exercise. First Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff Colonel-General Yuri Baluyevsky told a press conference in the Russian capital on Tuesday that the drill entered an active phase on February 10, while the preparatory phase began in the second part of January.

The purpose of the exercise is to provide practical training to the commanding structures of the strategic nuclear forces and to general-purpose units. A minimum number of forces are to be enlisted for the exercise, Baluyevsky said.

The Russian military command is planning to polish off during the exercise some elements of the concept of development of the Russian Armed Forces.

It will also check the capability of general-purpose forces to airlift troops and armaments to great distances with the subsequent fulfillment of combat exercise missions.

Chief of the Russian General Staff General Anatoly Kvashnin is personally directing the exercise and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov is supervising it.

Besides general-purpose units, the drill involves all the component parts of the Russian nuclear triad and the space troops. The Russian strategic air force, including Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers, is to carry out flight missions during the exercise. They are to perform some combat exercise tasks with the launching of cruise missiles.

The strategic missile forces will carry out several launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. A strategic submarine of the Russian Northern Fleet is to make an underwater launch of a ballistic missile.

On February 18, Russia will launch a “Molniya-M” booster rocket with a Cosmos-series military satellite on board.

The military command of the United States was notified about the upcoming exercise in conformity with the START-1 Treaty.