Azerbaijan conducts large-scale drills
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
The next stage of the large-scale operative-tactical military drills was held in Azerbaijan, on September 17, under the plan approved by the President of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev.
The drills target to test combat readiness of all types of military forces, execution of the assigned tasks, as well as the organization of the joint actions throughout the training, the Ministry of Defense reported.
The soldiers carried out practical exercises on use of different types of weapons, moral and psychological readiness and coordination of combat actions during the drills.
Combat firings were held at the training centers and firing fields of the motor rifle and tank units, while examinations for missile launch and bombings from missile and artillery equipment, anti-aircraft guns and combat jets and helicopters were also realized.
Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov awarded the distinguished soldiers, examined the training centers, technical support points and mobile field hospital.
Hasanov also viewed the military equipment and weaponry which were used during the military exercises.
"Tasks assigned by the President of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, have successfully been accomplished," he said..
Azerbaijan is top country in the South Caucasus for its military expenditure. The country's current military budget is $3.8 billion which is nearly $57 million more than the last year's budget.
Azerbaijan is developing its defense industry at a high pace and showcased different domestically-made military equipment in many exhibitions worldwide. The country displayed 168 types of defense products at the latest international defense industry exhibition ADEX-2014 in Baku on September 11 to 13.
Along with the local production, the country purchased wide-range of military equipment from different countries, including Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Israel.
Global Firepower Index 2014 ranked Azerbaijan 50th among 106 countries by noting that the country can call upon hundreds of thousands of reserves.
Today's modernized and well-equipped army of Azerbaijan is reported as the strongest in the South Caucasus and one of the strongest among the post-Soviet countries.