On Sunday, May 16, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will begin conducting military exercises with up to 15,000 troops, 300 tanks and other armored equipment, up to 400 various caliber rocket-artillery systems, warplanes and drones, etc, with the goal of bringing troops into the state of combat readiness and regrouping, the exercises will last until May 20, reports the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.
The statement runs as follows,
“In accordance with the plan approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, on May 16, Azerbaijan Army will start to conduct the exercises with the involvement of types of troops.
The exercises that will be held under the leadership of the Minister of Defense will involve up to 15,000 military personnel, up to 300 tanks and other armored vehicles, up to 400 missiles and artillery systems of various caliber, multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, and anti-tank weapons, up to 50 military aviation assets, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes.
In the exercises the main attention will be focused on controlling troops, bringing them into the state of combat readiness and regrouping considering the combat experience gained during the Patriotic War, as well as on improving combat coordination and interoperability between the Army Corps, Rocket and Artillery Troops, aviation, and Special Forces.
During the exercise, which will last until May 20, the troops will also fulfill tasks to prevent provocations by illegal armed formations and conduct counter-operations to annihilate terrorists.”
According to the 2011 Vienna Document, Azerbaijan is obliged to provide the OSCE with an advance notice if the number of involved troops exceeds 9000.
Photo by Associated Press
