MINSK, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Belarusian Defense Ministry on Tuesday released the details of the West-2017 Belarusian-Russian joint military exercise that will be held in two stages.
In a press release on Tuesday, Belarusian First Deputy Defense Minister Oleg Belokonev said that at the first stage the regional group of forces joint command will finalize the troops' preparation for a combat mission isolating illegal armed units and enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups.
The air force and air defense group will be ramped up to provide cover for crucial state and military sites, preparations for deterrence of possible aggression will be made, and cohesion, combat logistics and technical support will be drilled at that stage, Belokonev said.
He said control over troops deterring aggression against the Union State of Russian and Belarus will be drilled at the second stage in a rapidly changing environment.
Belokonev said that in 2017, 85 exercises of NATO forces are taking place near the western borders, in which about 120,000 people take part. "Belarus does not see this as a security threat, and our reaction is absolutely adequate," he added.
The joint military exercise will be held on September 14-20 at six testing ranges in Russia and Belarus and involve about 12,700 troops and 680 combat units.
