The active phase of the joint exercise for subunits of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Central Asian Region (CORF CAR), dubbed "Rubezh-2024" (Frontier 2024), concluded at the Harbmaidon training ground in Tajikistan’s Khatlon province on October 21. The CSTO press center says the military leadership of the bloc's member states highly praised the level of coordination among the CSTO troops, according to the unified press center of the bloc's exercises.
The exercise, which involved military contingents from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and operational groups from the Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat, was conducted under the command of the Deputy Minister of Defense of Tajikistan, Major-General Saidasror Abdullozoda. Around 1,500 personnel and 250 units of military and special equipment, including aircraft, helicopters, and drones, were involved in the maneuvers.
The exercise’s scenario was based on terrorist groups crossing the state border at several points. Border troops engaged in battle, but their resources were insufficient. The "enemy" advanced deeper into the territory, capturing settlements and taking civilians hostage.
To liberate the captured settlement, units from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' internal troops and the special police unit "Alpha" were deployed, blocking the area, freeing the hostages, and eliminating the "enemy."
By the decision of the CORF CAR commander, artillery, assault, and army aviation were deployed to prevent the main forces of the "enemy" from advancing. This halted the "enemy" and allowed the collective forces to occupy advantageous defensive positions.
During the defensive battle, all types of weapons were used, and issues of shifting and concentrating fire were practiced, creating favorable conditions for a counterattack. In the course of the counterattack, the CORF CAR units defeated the "enemy" forces.
To prevent the "enemy's" reserves from approaching, a tactical airborne landing was carried out, which successfully fulfilled its task. Later, the CORF CAR units restored control over the state border.
In addition to the military leadership of the CSTO countries, accredited military attachés from Russia, India, Iran, China, Turkiye, the United States, and representatives of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) observed the active phase of the Rubezh-2024 exercise in Tajikistan.
The Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CORF) is a joint combined arms task force comprising independent military units from the CSTO member nations. The total strength of CRRF is reportedly more than 17,000 servicemen.
The first joint exercises for CORF units were held in October 2009 at Matybulak firing range in Kazakhstan near the border with China.
Founded in 1992, the Collective Security Treaty Organization is a Russia-led military alliance currently grouping the six former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Armenia intends to pull out the Organization. On February 23, 2024, Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, confirmed that Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO. On June 12, Pashinyan announced withdrawal from the CSTO, accusing members of failing to protect Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, however, said that Pashinyan hadn't announced a full withdrawal yet. Armenia's ties with Russia have become strained since Moscow refused to intervene in Nagorno-Karabakh.
