How can Russian and American forces benefit from combined training? General B.B. Bell, Commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, who arrived in Moscow to review the exercise, had this to say to the Russian newspaper Izvestia:
The exercise was helpful first of all because its participants represented both tactical and operational forces, Gen. Bell said. Such combined training makes it possible for senior officers to discuss military doctrines, share opinions on armed conflicts, identify differences and similarities, and find effective ways to plan joint operations.
In Gen. Bell's assessment, the American experience of interacting with Russian forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina was highly positive-first of all in terms of establishing and maintaining relations. In some sense, those peacekeeping operations were a long-term, daily coordination exercise. No that the Russian contingent has been withdrawn from Bosnia and Herzegovina, exercises such as the Torgau are the only way to continue and develop relations in the military areas. Joint work suspended in the mid-1990s has now been resumed, and both sides are inspired by the fact, he said.
Gen. Bell said this was a third time he had come to Moscow to meet with Russian generals and officers in his capacity as Commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe. He has been holing the post for a year-and-a-half now.
In early May, as Europe was celebrating V-E Day, Gen. Bell hosted a group of foreign military officers, including from Russia, in the German city of Heidelberg, where he is headquartered.
According to Gen. Bell, only a few of the U.S. participants in the Torgau 2004 exercise had previously interacted with Russian counterparts, so it was a whole new experience to most.
American participants told Mr Bell that they felt at ease throughout the joint exercise and that they had not found any substantial differences in the way army operations were conducted in Russia and the United States. Which is hardly surprising as both armies face the same threats, the general remarked. In his view, this goes to show that the U.S. and the Russian military have a solid basis for partnership.
Yet, the procedure of decision making differs somewhat, Gen. Bell acknowledged. In the Russian system, the planning of combat operations calls for directives adopted at a much higher level than in the United States. American army directives are of a more general character, and planning is made from bottom to top. So if placed in a U.S. division, Russian officers might feel uncomfortable as here they will have to make most of the decisions on their own. And Americans would suffer in the Russian army from too many instructions given by superiors.
Gen. Bell emphasized that he was not making any evaluative judgment about what is better and what is worse, but was just trying to identify some of the differences. He said he was hopeful that despite the existing differences, both armies were equally efficient. During the Torgau 2004 exercise, there were only minor discrepancies in the operations plans drawn up by the Russian and the American sides.
In conclusion, the chief U.S. Army officer in Europe said that he was looking forward to the next joint exercise.
The exercise has been named Torgau after the German city where a historic encounter between Russian forces and U.S. allies occurred on April 25, 1945. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the event, and Russian officers hope to celebrate the date in the United States, where they will be participating in yet another Torgau exercise.
