MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax-AVN) - A new training program for detached mountain rifle brigades has been developed and will be introduced in 2007, Russian Land Forces Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Anatoly Maslov told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"Under the Russian defense minister's instructions, the Land Forces command has developed an alpine unit training program and textbooks on Land Forces unit alpine combat training," Maslov said.
According to him, the textbooks define major standards, pertaining to Land Forces and alpine unit combat training.
"For instance, major emphasis is put on alpine warfare, peculiarities of interoperability with attached assets in alpine terrain, etc," he said.
He noted that the alpine training standards would come into force on January 1, 2007.
"The training program and textbooks have primarily been developed for two independent motorized rifle alpine brigades, being tailored in the North Caucasus Military District," Maslov said.
He pointed out that battalions of the two brigades would be manned with volunteers and equipped with materiel in all Russian military districts.
"The final stage of the combat training of the two new brigades envisions a tactical exercise involving live fire to be held in late 2007," Maslov said.