Category: Defence Exercise

Russia, China Set To Launch Joint Military Exercises

Why in news?

  • China will join Russia in a giant military exercise, sending a message of deterrence to the U.S. which has designated Beijing and Moscow as “revisionist powers”.

5-day Exercise Vostok 2018:

  • The five-day Vostok 2018 exercises, to be held from September 11, will be bigger than Zapad 81 — the mammoth manoeuvres carried out in Eastern Europe by the former Soviet Union in 1981.
  • Mongolia will be the third country participating in the drills.
  • The Vostok-2018 will involve 300,000 troops. They will engage in tri-service mock-operations, involving 1,000 military aircraft, two of Russia’s naval fleets and all its airborne units.
  • Nearly 36,000 military vehicles will participate in the drills that will take place at Russia’s Tsugol training range in the trans-Baikal region.
  • China will dispatch about 3,200 troops, along with more than 900 pieces of weaponry, as well as 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters state-run Xinhua.
  • These exercises are taking place amid Washington’s growing friction with Russia and China, which include mounting sanctions and a trade war.
  • The Pentagon’s national defence strategy unveiled in January focused on Russia and China as principle strategic challenges to the U.S. In presenting the new strategy, U.S. Defence Secretary called China and Russia “revisionist powers” that “seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models”.
  • China quoted that exercise as a response to the intentions of “hegemonic powers”. Some hegemonic powers target China and Russia as their biggest threats, giving heavy blows to the two countries in political, economic and military areas.
  • Such actions have severely threatened regional and even global peace and stability. Therefore, the China-Russia alliance is a reasonable stance against the hegemonic impulse and for safeguarding peace and stability of the region and the world.
  • Since last year, China and Russia have begun joint missile defence exercises — a signal that Beijing and Moscow “foresee that any strategic nuclear conflict that embroils one would, naturally, involve both”.

Exercise Peace Mission 2018

  • Exercise Peace Mission 2018, the joint military exercise of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), ended in Russia
  • The eight-member states undertaking joint training on combating terrorism.

Significance:

  • It will play a positive role in enhancing the ability of all member states to work together to cope with new threats and challenges, promoting the SCO’s defence and security cooperation to go further both in substance and depth, and safeguarding regional peace and stability.
  • The joint exercise will strengthen mutual confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices among armed forces of the SCO nations.
  • The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command and control structures and elimination of terrorist threat in urban counter terrorist scenario.
  • This is the first time India and Pakistan participated in the exercise which brings stability between the two countries which was significant to the peace and development of the region and the whole world.

SCO:

  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation
  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter was signed during the St. Petersburg SCO Heads of State meeting in June 2002, and entered into force on September 2003
  • The status of a full member of the Organization was granted to the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during the Astana summit
  • The SCO’s main goals are as follows: strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Member States:

  • The Republic of India
  • The Republic of Kazakhstan
  • The People’s Republic of China
  • The Kyrgyz Republic
  • The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  • The Russian Federation
  • The Republic of Tajikistan and
  • The Republic of Uzbekistan

Pitch Black

For the first time, the Indian Air Force will be participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2018 (PB-18), a three-week multinational drill scheduled from 24 July in Australia.

  • The Exercise Pitch Black which was first started in the year 1981 for different RAAF units, takes place every two years in the Australian continent.
  • The last exercise in 2016, was attended by France, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States.
  • Singapore was the first nation to be included in the exercise in the year 1990 following with the Australian administration opened the exercise to other countries too Background:
  • Through the exercise the countries aim to practice OCA and DCA, more commonly known as the offensive and defensive counter air combat.
  • The exercise takes place in New South Wales’ Glenbrook region, at the Australian Air Force base in a simulated environment.
  • The other joint exercise between India and Australia which includes the AUSINDEX from 2015.

Categories

Current Affairs Calendar

M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Quick Navigate

Social Connect