The Belarusian edition "Belarus Today" has published interesting material "At the meeting with the President, the state defense order was discussed. What decisions have been made?" On the meeting held on May 10, 2022 under the chairmanship of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on the issue of the Belarusian state defense order for 2022.
A meeting chaired by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on the issue of the Belarusian state defense order for 2022. Minsk, 10.05.2022 (c) www.sb.by
"No one should take us by surprise"
The bet on increasing the mobility of the army has justified itself. Important lessons of the Ukrainian conflict. Russia will help Belarus in the field of missile production. Details of the meeting with the President on the issue of the state defense order for this year
The development of the military-industrial complex and the state defense order have always been under the special control of the President. We do not want to fight and we are not going to. But another fact is equally immutable. The world respects the strong who know how to stand up for themselves. Therefore, at any time, any government should be able to protect its state and its people. It seems to be banal truths, but nothing less than the independence and security of the country depends on their realization. So on Tuesday, Alexander Lukashenko made an emphasis on this:
- No one should take us by surprise. The lesson of the last war. We are not aggressors, we are not going to attack anyone. But the gunpowder not only needs to be kept dry for the future, but today the ear must be kept alert. We need to see what our rivals are doing near our borders and react.
Important lessons
Visiting military-industrial complex enterprises, getting acquainted with the latest models of the defense industry, at various meetings and meetings on this issue, the President has repeatedly spoken about how important it is for us to have a mobile, well-equipped army, while giving priority to the domestic manufacturer. Yes, we are not comparable to the NATO bloc in terms of combined power. But the ability to inflict unacceptable damage to the enemy is a good deterrent for any potential aggressor.
Over the years of the country's independence, the Belarusian army has already passed four stages of reform and modernization. We are not going to stop there. The situation on the external circuit, and in general the geopolitical situation in the world, force us to be on the alert and constantly improve our Armed Forces. This thought ran like a red thread through the entire conversation at the Palace of Independence.
The State Defense Order regulates the supply of weapons, military equipment and other materiel for our army.
- In the current situation, this agenda is more relevant than ever, - the Commander-in-Chief emphasizes. He notes that recently this issue has already been discussed in the Ministry of Defense at the Center for Strategic Management. But life itself requires adjustments:
- Frankly speaking, then we saw our army in a different way, and above all, the armament of our army. And, again, quite frankly, the military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has taught us a lot. From the first day of this operation, I demanded from the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, from all of you, taking into account the lessons of the war, to decide what kind of war will be in Belarus if, God forbid ... and what weapons we will need for our army if we suddenly have to defend our country with weapons in our hands.
Alexander Lukashenko said that he constantly demands from the Minister of Defense to observe what is happening around and draw conclusions:
- Lessons, lessons and lessons again! As I was informed, lessons have been learned. And when I asked the question: "Have the approaches changed from today's position?" - "Yes, they have changed." It couldn't have been any other way. Therefore, from this angle, we must consider our state defense order for the current year.
However, the possession of modern, highly effective and necessarily necessary weapons for our territory is not everything. The events in the same Ukraine, according to the President, show that it is no less important to feed a soldier, bring ammunition on time, deploy medical centers and so on:
- That is, logistics in the modern, seemingly super-revolutionary, modernized army today, as before, plays an important role.
The army must be mobile
During the meeting, the Commander-in-Chief will repeatedly refer to the lessons of Ukraine. In particular, speaking about the equipment of the Belarusian army with modern weapons and military equipment, Alexander Lukashenko said:
- The military-industrial complex is one of the most important high-tech sectors of the Belarusian economy. Naturally, we must rely on the domestic arms manufacturer.
At the same time, the Head of State warns that it is impossible to overdo it with the "smartest technologies". All this should be functional and easy to use for ordinary fighters.
- And no contract army will save us in this regard. Everything is efficient, simple and reliable. That's the most important thing… If tanks, then very popular among the military T-72. Our upgraded tanks are a good weapon. And as for the lightly armored cars "Cayman", also remember - we made a roll to the fact that our army should be mobile after all. Again, the lesson of Ukraine. The most effective, including on the part of the Ukrainian armed forces, were mobile groups that instantly, unexpectedly approaching the enemy, who is much superior to them, strike striking blows. But this requires means of transportation. So that at night or within an hour or two (this is relevant for Belarus, the road infrastructure is very developed) they could approach any hearth that intelligence would record and strike.
The parts have to be very mobile, and you have to concentrate on that.
Alexander Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that such weapons as, for example, the S-400, ultramodern aircraft and so on are good. But large high-tech forces, whether the United States or NATO, have enormous potential to destroy airfields in 1-2 hours:
- And where will you land the planes? Moreover, the survivability of these aircraft today is just nothing. Therefore, wherever you throw, there is mobility, mobility and mobility again.
The President recalled that 10 years ago he convinced the Armed Forces that it was necessary to go this way:
- And, as it turned out today, we were right, we won in this regard. Let 65-70 thousand army. It would seem small. But not a small one either. And it's very mobile.
Surprise and surprise played an important role in any war. And for this you need to be mobile.
Promising weapons
Separately, Alexander Lukashenko focused on the issue of communications and called on the generals to carefully study this issue:
- Another lesson of Ukraine. Communication, communication and communication again. There is no army without communication. You don't need any weapons, you don't need anything if there is no connection. And God forbid, in peacetime, during exercises or unexpectedly, our units will be raised somewhere, and you will lose communication between your units!.. So look at this.
Alexander Lukashenko also asked how the development of promising weapons, primarily missile weapons, is going:
- I set the corresponding task to the Prime Minister after a meeting in the Far East with the President of Russia. We agreed (Putin, Lukashenko, Rogozin, who else was there - people who are engaged in rocket production in Russia) that they should look at our developments.
We're building a new rocket. Very effective, of the Iskander sample. I have the President (of Russia. - Editor's note) set the task to Dmitry Rogozin to immediately provide support so that we would not create a bicycle and could use the experience of the rocket developers of the Russian Federation who made Iskander. I would like to hear the answer to this question.
Speaking about missile weapons, the President said that the Russian S-400 and Iskanders are planned to be left on our territory:
- We have agreed with Russia that, probably, we will leave the S-400 that we have. He will see from Minsk to Berlin. This is a weapon that is designed for large armies, territories. Let's say, as a Russian. And we may not need to see what is there, in Berlin. And the S-300, which we are armed with, is a fairly good modern weapon. Almost like the S-400. But the S-400 is a good technique. We saw her in this operation as well. Very good. We have agreed with the Minister of Defense that he will simply prepare several groups of guys tomorrow who will own this equipment.
Alexander Lukashenko also announced plans to purchase Iskander missile systems from Russia:
- This is a very necessary weapon for us. We have it today. And, again, I agreed with the Russians that we buy Iskanders from them. They will not be withdrawn from Belarus. They can be used to defend our space.
According to the President, the weapons that the Belarusian army already has at the moment make it possible to ensure its defense capability:
- I think this is a good weapon for the army. This suggests that our army will be able to fight and inflict unacceptable damage to the enemy. Just as we planned. We are realists, we understand that we will not be able to defeat NATO. But to cause damage, especially to those territories from which we will be attacked - we have all these weapons. This is a weapon that covers the entire territory of Poland and up to the Baltic. I'm not talking about the Baltic states. And almost Ukraine for Kiev. God forbid, I'm not hinting at anything, but to understand the firing range of the weapons that we have.
An adequate response
Returning to the topic of the state defense order, the President noted that if recently, when discussing this topic at the strategic management center in the Ministry of Defense, it was about large purchases of weapons, now it is obvious that a different approach is needed:
- Now we have looked, we have done our lessons and we see that we need to change our position. We don't need as many weapons as we wanted to have.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, weapons are needed primarily based on the capabilities of the Armed Forces and the conditions in which, God forbid, they will have to fight:
- We are not going to attack anyone. And this is (Belarus. - Editor's note) not Syria, not Iraq, not an open area - a desert. A wooded and swampy area. Yes, the territory of Belarus has changed a lot after the last war, but nevertheless there is enough goodness, like forests and rivers (and this is an obstacle for any army, especially the aggressor).
As for material costs, our country spares no expense to maintain the defense capability of the army. But each allocated ruble should be used wisely and in a businesslike manner, the Belarusian leader sets the task, stressing that this is "the most fundamental strict requirement."
The Head of State also asked the generals how the work on the formation of the state defense order for 2022 is connected with the conclusions drawn from the assessment of the situation around Belarus, not only in Ukraine:
- Objectively and honestly… We must objectively see what is happening on the territory of Belarus and around. If we do not adequately assess the situation and plan our actions, we will look pale in any collision, in any conflict situation.
In this regard, the President mentioned the large-scale NATO exercises along the borders of Belarus, saying that there are various fakes, arguments, assumptions about this:
- Journalists are already asking me about it. There were 3 thousand, and now there are under 40 thousand people at our borders… I have never hidden and I do not hide: the Minister of Defense, the General Staff has been given the task - we must provide for everything. We need to see what is happening on the border, the border guards give a lot of information, the State Security Committee. And the military can see what's going on. Intelligence should work… No one should take us by surprise - the lesson of the last war. We are not aggressors, we are not going to attack anyone, but gunpowder not only needs to be kept dry for the future, but today we need to keep our ears open. We need to see what our rivals are doing near our borders and react.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, the meaning of the sudden inspection of the Armed Forces launched last week is precisely this:
- Just imagine - aggression. How will it be accomplished? From the western or southern territory? We see several scenarios. And according to these scenarios, if, God forbid, events develop this way, we must respond. The task is immediately assigned to units, units - to move out there and there, block roads, directions of movement of the probable enemy. That's how we act today.
DIRECT SPEECH
Viktor Khrenin, Minister of Defense:
- The President always pays very close attention to the development of the Armed Forces, including the formation of the state defense order, considering every purchase that we plan ... The Belarusian leader supported the proposals that we presented. No additional budget costs will be required. The defense budget will be the one that is currently planned and allocated. The most important message of the Head of State is that we can do a lot at home. The lion's share of the weapons that our military-industrial complex produces, primarily communications equipment, electronic warfare, and much in rocket science - all of this will be purchased here in our country.
The main result is that we were not mistaken in the construction and development of the Armed Forces, focusing on the development of special operations forces, on mobility. Now we are studying and analyzing in detail the tactics of actions of both the Armed Forces of Russia and, of course, Ukraine. We see what clarifications we need to make as part of the preparation of our Armed Forces, what changes should be made to the construction of an operational defense plan, which types of weapons should be given more attention, what to purchase and modernize... The sudden check of the reaction forces taking place today is an adequate response to the exercises that have been held on the territory of NATO countries since May 1 under the name "Defender of Europe". We see their every movement, we see which battalion tactical groups are involved, at which ranges, what issues they are going to work out. Understanding certain threats that may come from them, we respond adequately, we put forward appropriate troops in these areas.
Dmitry Pantus, Chairman of the State Military-Industrial Committee:
- The Head of State called for maximum use of the potential of the defense sector of the republic's economy. In this connection, we reported on the advanced developments that are being implemented by our enterprises today. And also in terms of the completed tasks that were setPresident before. We are talking about the work on modernization in full and putting into service the MLRS "Hurricane", "Belgrade" and the air defense system "Osa". These three weapons of destruction have been fully tested and will be gradually supplied to the Armed Forces within the framework of the state order. At the meeting, taking into account the experience of military conflicts that are taking place in the world today, including near our borders, many additional tasks were also set in terms of developing even more effective means of destruction. We will once again reconsider the accents of our activities and focus on fulfilling the specific tasks set by the Belarusian leader. Rocket science is currently one of the key areas of the GWPC. In May, we have the next stage of testing of the Polonaise MLRS, as well as the Bug air defense system, in August - the next one. I think that during this year we will carry out several stages by analogy with the past. And at the end of 2022, we will report to the Head of State on the implementation of the tasks that are in this key direction.
Viktor Gulevich, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defense:
- The United States and its allies continue to increase their military presence at the State border of Belarus. The created grouping has more than doubled in both quantitative and qualitative terms over the past six months. Groups carrying sea-based cruise missiles have appeared in the waters of the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, and the aviation grouping in Poland and the Baltic countries has been increased. All this indicates a growing threat to the Republic of Belarus. A number of exercises are being held on the territory of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, including Defender of Europe, which is supposed to involve up to 20 thousand people and a large amount of equipment. Together with this exercise, seven more exercises are held on the territory of the countries bordering Belarus. They also work out issues on the use of reconnaissance and sabotage forces, landing troops, and the use of special operations forces. All this clearly does not indicate the peaceful orientation of these teachings.
Based on this, the Armed Forces of Belarus have developed a set of measures aimed at countering possible threats. As part of the second stage of the verification of the immediate response forces, battalion tactical groups have been deployed to the Western and North-Western operational areas. To strengthen them, air defense units, missile troops and artillery are being put forward, which will ensure their combat operation. In the Southern operational direction, the grouping created by the armed forces of Ukraine with a total strength of up to 20 thousand people also requires a reaction from us. Special operations forces deployed in three tactical areas ensure the security of Belarus. In addition, two territorial defense areas are being checked under my leadership, deployed units of the territorial troops will perform tasks to protect important facilities.
