DUSAHNBE, August 14, Asia-Plus — Four member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan – are supposed to conduct a joint military exercises, dubbed “Rubezh-2006” (Boundary-2006) in Kazakhstan in late August.
According to information from the Tajik Ministry of Defense (MoD), the war game involving ground, sea and air units will be conducted at the Caspian Sea coast from August 24-29. Uzbek servicemen will attend the military exercises in Kazakhstan as observers. About 2,500 servicemen from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan will participate in this war game. Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister will be in overall command of this counterterrorism exercise.
The MoD source says the joint exercise in Kazakhstan will be conducted in three phases: the first and the second phases will include command-staff drills and the third phase will include joint tactical exercises.
Some Russian media report that Russia will deploy up to 1,000 combat and support personnel, aircraft, three gunboats, two landing craft and four support ships.
The CSTO has previously held Rubezh anti-terrorist exercises in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization was founded on October 7, 2002 by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan to ensure peace, preserve the territorial integrity of member countries, coordinate activities in the fight against international terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized international crime, and provide immediate military assistance to a CSTO member in the event of a military threat.
