DUSHANBE, May 17, 2015, Asia-Plus -- The first stage of inspection of combat readiness of contingents of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Collective Operational Reaction Force (CORF) has been completed.

During the first stage, the CSTO CORF contingents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia have been put on high alert and deployed to Tajikistan.

More than 2,500 military personnel, about 200 military hardware, 20 combat and helicopters as well as 3- military transport plane have been involved in the training that is being conducted at the Harbmaydon training ground in the Tajik southern province of Khatlon. 

Russia’s news agency TASS quoted the Russian ministry of Defense (MoD) as saying that Russia''s Ulyanovsk 31st separate air assault (peacekeeping) brigade and the Ivanovo 98th airborne division have been alerted within the framework of an inspection of combat readiness of contingents of the CSTO CORF.

Meanwhile the CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha has hailed a good training of the CSTO CORF contingents, the CSTO press center said.

The CORF is a Russian initiative intended to transform and expand by three to four times the CSTO rapid reaction dimension into a permanently ready, combat-capable force designed for intervention in crisis situations on the territory of CSTO member stat

On February 4, 2009, an agreement to create the Collective Operational Reaction Force (CORF) was reached was by five (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan) of the seven CSTO members.  The force is intended to be used to repulse military aggression, conduct anti-terrorist operations, fight transnational crime and drug trafficking, and neutralize the effects of natural disasters. Belarus and Uzbekistan initially refrained from signing on to the agreement; Belarus because of a trade dispute with Russia, and Uzbekistan due to general concerns.  Belarus signed the agreement in October 2009.

The CSTO now groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia.  Uzbekistan suspended its membership in the CSTO in June 2012, saying the organization ignores Uzbekistan and does not consider its views.  The CSTO is currently an observer organization at the United Nations General Assembly.