Azerbaijan’s army units to hold joint drills
By Sara Rajabova
The units of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the Internal Troops of Interior Ministry and the country's State Border Service will conduct large-scale joint military exercises under the leadership of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov made the remark in an interview with AzerTag state news agency.
Hasanov said the Special Forces Army of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic have already held large-scale military drills in accordance with combat training plans of the Armed Forces' units deployed along the frontline.
"The level of combat training of military units has already been tested and the possibility of using military equipment, including modern weapons has been examined during the exercises. Special attention was paid to the prompt and efficient execution of orders, preparing operations by staffs, organization of joint action and support, as well as execution of assigned tasks at different stages of combat operation," Hasanov said.
He added that currently, the Defense Ministry is studying and evaluating military training and field skills of the units involved in the exercise.
Hasanov further noted that the initial draft of the Armed Forces Development Strategy has been prepared as part of the "Azerbaijan 2020: Look into the Future" concept of development.
He said the draft of the strategic defense overview was submitted to the Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, the State Program for Development of the Armed Forces was presented to the Cabinet of Ministers.
He also said the amendments and changes to the supply standards were also prepared to improve the process of clothing provision for military personnel (mostly private soldiers and sergeants), wearing rules and types of military uniforms.
He added that these changes and additions were also submitted for governmental consideration.
The defense minister also said that the direct transfer of food products by the enterprises in military units was banned in Azerbaijan to prevent entry of poor quality products.
He said currently, the Central Military-Veterinary Laboratory controls the quality of products. Then the products come to the central food warehouse and are distributed to military units in a centralized manner.
Hasanov said a plan has been developed for the construction of a new laboratory building and purchasing new equipment to test the quality of products.