The U.S., Russia and China are racing to address what they all see as increasing threats to stability in the heart of Asia, a sprawling region that hosts an international bout for influence among state and non-state forces as well as deep-seated environmental concerns that could prove a flashpoint for conflict.
Addressing a military board meeting at Moscow’s National Center for State Defense Control, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday that personnel were implementing a plan to shore up training and equipment for the Central Military District in response to a rise in external hazards developing across the nation’s borders there.
“In the context of growing threats in the Central Asian strategic direction, the district command continues to increase the intensity of combat training,” Shoigu said. “The improvement of the control system, re-equipment with the latest models, the introduction of new methods of conducting combat operations have significantly increased the coherence of the control bodies, formations, units and the readiness of personnel to perform tasks according to their intended purpose.”