DDN Belarus Launches Second Stage Of Response Forces Inspection - Defense Ministry

DDN Belarus Launches Second Stage of Response Forces Inspection - Defense Ministry

Belarus is launching the second stage of its army response force inspection amid NATO's large-scale military exercises in the European region, Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) Belarus is launching the second stage of its army response force inspection amid NATO's large-scale military exercises in the European region, Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, the Belarusian Defence Ministry announced a sudden inspection of its army's response capabilities with a view to assessing the ability of personnel to respond to crisis situations.

"We have begun checking the response forces. Today the second stage will start. This has been planned as an adequate response to the Defender Europe exercises which are underway on the territory of NATO countries since 1 May," Khrenin said, as quoted by the state-run Belta news agency.

The minister added that apart from watching the Defender Europe 2022 (DE22), Minsk is also closely monitoring the Swift Response (SR 2022), an annual US Army Europe and Africa multinational training exercise.

"Understanding certain threats that may come from them, we respond adequately, and we move the appropriate troops to these areas," Khrenin said.

At the same time, the Belarusian defense minister noted that Minsk has no plans to increase its defense budget this year.

Earlier in May, the DE22 and SR 2022 regular military exercises kicked off on the territory of nine European countries. Around 18,000 military from over 20 countries are participating together in both exercises. Western countries are attaching particular importance to the military drills that are taking place on NATO's eastern flank amid Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.