Expert: Belarus must prepare for hybrid war already today
Euroradio talks to military experts whether Belarus army should be reformed at the background of hostilities in Ukraine.
The head of Belarus recently noted reflecting on 'hybrid wars':
“Nowadays, nobody will be throwing masses of troops under the fire from hostile multiple rocket launchers. If someone is to fight a war against us, they will use scattered armed forces and mobile groups. We should respond in the same manner, inflicting unacceptable losses to the enemy.”
Colonel Andrei Shubadziorau, the chief of Belarusian armed forces' news agency Vayarу, is confident that no specific reforms are needed in Belarusian army, because it undergoes reforms all the time.
Andrei Shubadziorau: “We follow and take into account any military experience: Ukraine, Iraq, Lybia and all the rest. Therefore, there is no need for some serious changes, because the army always keeps developing and building its capacity. The army reacts in a standard way to all those developments and that's it!”
The colonel also draws attention to the work of their military news agency, reacting constantly and in the same manner to all military conflicts. “We take into account all elements of information society development and everything what happens around us. As of today, we have all the necessary resources in place that allow us to work effectively in the information space,” the chief of Vayar assures Euroradio.
Well, that's fine, then, because as the events in Ukraine have shown, informational warefare inflicts at least not lesser damage to the country than conventional weapons.
Military expert Aliaksandr Alesin is not that optimistic. He sayas that the developments in Ukraine have shown that Belarusian military should pay more attention to the creation of rapid reaction force, because the war between special forces and commandos is decisive. It is their task to subdue a hybrid war in the very beginning, when the groups of 'rebels' or, putting it simply, illegal armed formations suddeny appear in the country.
Aliaksandr Alesin: “They (special forces units - Euroradio) operate on any terrain and should be at least as prepared as the so called 'rebels'. At the same time, the special forces must be very mobile and know the exact locations of illegal armed groups. If these elements are not subdued right in the begining, then it will turn out into a large-scale war with the use of heavy artillery and rockets like we can see now in Ukraine.”
According to the pundit, Belarus has created Special Operations Forces and military analysts study "hybrid wars", but not everything is smooth in Belaruain special forces.
Aliaksandr Alesin: “The special forces are in need of special equipment and armored vehicles. Currently, they continue to use the vehicles - the left-overs from the airborn troops (BMD- airborne fighting vehicle) and from motorized infantry (BTR - armored personnel carriers) - quite outdated. They also use towed cannons. This does not boost their mobility and fire power."
Alesin is confident: our military do not use fully the potential of Belarusian scientists and machinery-building industry to create fighting vehicles for Belarusian commandos. Foreign-made equipment is not an option either due to the deficit of funding and the old-way thinking of Belarusian generals.
Alesin reckons Belarusian generals do not understand the danger of hybrid wars. “It is not clear if there will be a large-scale war tomorrow. But a war like now in Ukraine can happen already tomorrow. The Belarusian army must prepare for that already today," warns the pundit.
