Post-Soviet nations to form military force

[frigidmagi]

CNN

A Russian-led bloc of post-Soviet nations has agreed to establish a rapid-reaction military force to combat terrorists and respond to regional emergencies, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Russian navy soldiers stand guard during a military ceremony.

The decision came a day after reports that Kyrgyzstan is planning to close a strategically important U.S. military base that Washington uses to transport troops and supplies into Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the Collective Security Treaty Organization -- made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan -- decided on the rapid-reaction force at a Kremlin summit, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.

The group's security council "spent a long time discussing the central issue of forming collective reaction forces and, generally, of rapid reaction to possible threats," said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

"Everyone agreed that the formation of joint forces is necessary," he said.

Officials told Russian media that all the members had signed the agreement, though Uzbekistan submitted a special provision.

Uzbekistan doesn't mind contributing military units to the rapid-reaction force "but does not consider it necessary for the moment" to attach emergency responders, drug-control forces and other special services, organization spokesman Vitaly Strugovets told Interfax.

Russian media reported that the force will be used to fight military aggressors, conduct anti-terror operations, battle regional drug trafficking and respond to natural disasters. The force will be based in Russia under a single command, with member nations contributing military units.

On Tuesday, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced at a Moscow news conference that "all due procedures" were being initiated to close Manas Air Base, RIA-Novosti reported. The announcement was made after news reports of a multimillion-dollar aid package from Russia to Kyrgyzstan.

Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, was in Kyrgyzstan last month, partly to lobby the government to allow the United States to keep using the base. He said he and Kyrgyz leaders did not discuss "at all" the possible closure of the base and said local officials told him there was "no foundation" for news reports about the issue.

The United States is planning to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to halt a resurgence of the Taliban. Petraeus described Manas as having "an important role in the deployment of these forces" and in refueling aircraft.

The relationship between the United States and Kyrgyzstan was damaged when a Kyrgyz citizen was killed by a U.S. airman in December 2006. The airman was transferred out of Kyrgyzstan, and the dead man's family was offered compensation. Petraeus said in January that the investigation was being reopened.

As he announced the base closure Tuesday, Bakiyev said he was not satisfied with the inquiry into the accident and his government's "inability to provide security to its citizens" was proving a serious concern.

Medvedev also weighed in on the issue Wednesday, saying the base closure shouldn't hamper anti-terrorism operations, according to Interfax.

"It would be great if their numbers meant there were fewer terrorists, but such action depends on other things as well," he said.

Full points to Duchess for find this and explaining this to me.

Basically the nations listed excluding Uzbekistan have placed their miltiaries, special forces, disaster relief and the local police are all under the control of the Russian Military. If another color revolution were to take place in the listed nation, then Russia could deploy to smash it down completely legally.

Imperial Russia is back.

[General Havoc]

Imperial Russia never left.

[The Minx]

It went into hibernation for a while, there.

[Cynical Cat]

This

A Russian-led bloc of post-Soviet nations has agreed to establish a rapid-reaction military force to combat terrorists and respond to regional emergencies, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Russian navy soldiers stand guard during a military ceremony.

and this

Basically the nations listed excluding Uzbekistan have placed their miltiaries, special forces, disaster relief and the local police are all under the control of the Russian Military. If another color revolution were to take place in the listed nation, then Russia could deploy to smash it down completely legally.

Imperial Russia is back.

are clearly not the same thing. The UN wants a multinational rapid reaction force as well and only the loonies are going to call that an empire. Is it one step closer for return of Russian regional hegemony? Yes. Does it place the militaries, special forces, police and disaster relief under the control of the Russian Military? Fuck no it doesn't. It places whatever units the country decides to contribute to the reaction force under Russian control. It's not the Russian Empire part whatever, fuck it's not even the Warsaw Pact Part Two or Evil Russian NATO.

[General Havoc]

Yeah, I know this will probably destroy the world, but I'm gonna agree with Cyncat on this one. It sounds to me like it has more in common with Eurofor (or whatever it's called nowadays) than it does with the Warsaw Pact.

[frigidmagi]

Good thing I didn't call it a Warsaw Pact 2.0. It is Russia having control over their military and Police Forces. It's not an ideological alliance or a buffer system. It's outright running every organization with guns in the Stans (that's my own name for the countries in Central Asia, while not everyone ends with Stan... Close enough really).

[Cynical Cat]

Good thing I didn't call it a Warsaw Pact 2.0. It is Russia having control over their military and Police Forces. It's not an ideological alliance or a buffer system. It's outright running every organization with guns in the Stans (that's my own name for the countries in Central Asia, while not everyone ends with Stan... Close enough really).

No, it isn't. Read the damn report. It's all the countries agreeing to contribute forces to a joint rapid reaction force. Does it increase Russia's influence in the region? You bet. Does it do what you claim. No.

Show me where it says that it gives Russia control over the other countries' military and police forces. Show me where they surrender that control. You can't, because it doesn't.

[frigidmagi]

Did you miss the part where the command structure is based in Russia and they have first call on responding to everything from the drug trade to natural disasters to war? That's where it tells us the extend of the command. To be first in line to such areas and events you need to be able to control the units and you can't do that if there are conflicting lines of command.

[Cynical Cat]

Did you miss the part where the command structure is based in Russia and they have first call on responding to everything from the drug trade to natural disasters to war? That's where it tells us the extend of the command. To be first in line to such areas and events you need to be able to control the units and you can't do that if there are conflicting lines of command.

Yeah, that's the command center for the rapid reaction force. You know, the one that has to have a command center and whose whole concept is to be able to react quickly. The "whole rest of the military and police" is your invention and totally unsupported. It just means the multinational reaction force, which will be working together, has a unified command structure.

[frigidmagi]

And the mission list given is not the mission list of a react force. It's the mission list of a sizable ground force.

[Cynical Cat]

And the mission list given is not the mission list of a react force. It's the mission list of a sizable ground force.

The mission list is vague as hell. Natural disasters, well that's certainly in the cards for a reaction force. A Canadian force beat FEMA to New Orleans after Katrina so being on the ball matters. Anti-terrorist and drug operations are also in the cards for a rapid reaction force. Military incursions is vague and theoretically the roll of a sizable ground force, but that doesn't mean its a huge force. The Brits ground force at the Falklands was fairly small, we will mention that even a few battalions of well supported Marines is more than most cross border raiders will want to deal with, and the multinational composition has an intimidation factor all of its own. Starting a border dispute with a 'stan is one thing, potentially throwing down with Mother Russia is another.

[frigidmagi]

A Canadian force beat FEMA to New Orleans after Katrina so being on the ball matters.

From what I'm told beating FEMA to New Orleans isn't something to brag about, even if they had at least an half continent led on you. But in this regard, you don't use a rapid react force for disaster clean up, or rather not just a rapid react force, you need several layers for that and bluntly the Stans aren't going to have them. Frankly I'll bet my left leg that Russia pretty much just took over the whole disaster response bit because they're the only ones who can pull it off. But to pull it off they need to be able to command the local police and relief forces.

Anti-terrorist and drug operations are also in the cards for a rapid reaction force

Drug Trade is frankly a join for standing units that are nailed down to a geographical area. Not a rapid react force, it won't have the informants, ties and other juicy skills needed to counteract drug smuggles and traders.

Counter Terrorism, well yes actually and the Russians are better at it then we are... If you factor in their willingness to risk obscene civilian casualties and resort to overkill. That's a cultural difference in the end though not a difference in competence.

Military incursions is vague and theoretically the roll of a sizable ground force, but that doesn't mean its a huge force

Which leads us to another thing, military incursion from who? China? Unlikely and logistically improbable. Seriously China doesn't have the infrastructure to support invasion nor does it have the airforce to get around that problem. India can't reach. Neither can Pakistan or Iran. Which leaves the US who is already tied down and Russia, who just signed this deal.

[Cynical Cat]

The reaction force's mission is ill defined, but its clear that's the only thing that's going to be under control of whoever happens to be in charge of the Russian headquarters. In my opinion this is just the first step in knocking together some kind of political and economic union, so is probably just a token first step, but a first step nonetheless.