Ukraine plans to participate in 24 combined military exercises in 2013, of which six on the territory of Ukraine, reads a statement made by the press service of National Security and Defense Council Secretary Andrii Kliuev.
“Ukraine keeps widening participation of its servicemen in combined exercises… Plans for this year: participation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 24 combined military exercises, six of which will be conducted on our country’s territory.” the press service quotes Kliuev as saying.
In his words, this enables perfecting the level of Ukrainian soldiers’ training and skills of interaction with other countries’ subunits, using modern experience of development of various states’ armed forces in the reformation of the Ukrainian army.
Kliuev notes, they plan to conduct Ukrainian-Russian and Ukrainian-Belarusian air-defence exercises in Ukraine.
“Their objective will be a drill of interaction of anti-aircraft defence management headquarters and alert forces in interdicting terrorists and in rendering help to an aircraft in distress,” the NSDC Secretary said.
In July, he says, some 2,000 servicemen from Ukraine and Russian will be participating in the joint anti-terrorist drills in the Black Sea water area, Fairway of Peace 2013,
Moreover, for July is planned the Ukrainian-American exercise Sea Breeze 2013, during which up to 2,500 servicemen from Ukraine, United States and other countries will be drilling anti-terrorist, anti-piracy and humanitarian operations.
In Kliuev’s words, from year to year more and more states take part in combined exercises on Ukraine’s territory.
“Thus, close to 1,500 people from 19 countries may take part in the Ukrainian-American exercise Sea Breeze 2013, which is taking part in July too on the territory of the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Yavoriv District of Lviv Region. This year the peacekeeping missions’ drill training will be focused on employment of aerial element and versatile helicopters Mi-8,” the NSDC Secretary said.
In his words, the purpose of the Maple Arch 2013 exercise, which is taking place in September, will be preparing combined Ukraine/Poland/Lithuania battalion for conduct of peacekeeping operations in urban conditions.
Kliuev says participation of servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 18 combined exercises is planned for 2013 on the territory of Russia, Kazakhstan, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Iceland, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova.
The NSDC Secretary underlines, for Ukraine is important to make the most use of combined drills for improving combat effectiveness and professional level of the native army, especially in the process of its reformation and modernisation.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President Viktor Yanukovych ion May 7 signed into law the bill, the Verkhovna Rada passed in April, approving admission of foreign armed forces’ units onto the territory of Ukraine to participate in combined military exercises in 2013.
In 2012, the Defence Ministry planned to participate in 13 combined exercises.
Via: http://un.ua/
