MOSCOW. Nov 9 (Interfax-AVN) - High-ranking officers of the Russian Armed Forces gathered for a training session in Moscow on Friday to discuss the progress of the Armed Forces reform, as well as Land Forces and Navy restructuring plans for 2002, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The officers will also consider the progress of the anti-guerrilla operation in Chechnya, situation in Central Asia and prospects of the army and navy rearmament.
The training session opened with a research and practical conference where the main address was delivered by Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces Anatoly Kvashnin. The address was devoted to "the spheres of the Armed Forces activity in neutralizing threats to Russia's national security."
The training session will be highlighted by a conference scheduled for November 12, the spokesman said. It is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo, chairman of the Federation Council upper house of parliament Yegor Stroyev, his counterpart from the State Duma lower house Gennady Seleznyov, and heads of law-enforcement ministries.
Commanders of armed services, heads of the Defense Ministry's main and central departments, commanders of military districts, fleets and large units will take part in the session that is to last four days. They will sum up results of this year's combat training in the army and navy and set goals for the new year in line with a radical reform of the state's military structure.
The session's agenda includes several demonstrative exercises in organization of combat training that are to take place at training facilities of the Moscow military district, including in the 2nd guard motorized rifle Taman division. Participants in the training session will be briefed on the present normative documents, new approaches to organization of combat training in the context of limited financing. They will be shown new methods of organizing tractical training, range practice, tank, IFV and APC driving practice. Some classes will be devoted to the tactics of operations in special conditions taking into account the experience gained by federal troops in the North Caucasus.
The agenda also includes announcement of President Vladimir Putin's order on new appointments in the Land Forces command and other military bodies, the spokesman said.