The International Army Games are like the Olympic Games for military exercises. This year’s competition opened in Russia on Saturday with over 3,000 military personnel from 20 countries.
It is an annual event that tests the militaries of different countries against battlefield situations officers may encounter in real life. According to reports, Russia had invited 47 countries, including African and NATO countries.
Russia’s Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu opened this year’s event, which began with a tank biathlon competition and will last until August 13. Each competition is held at different locations
This year’s International Army Games will take place in two countries – Russia and Kazakhstan – and will include 23 air and sea training events. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 121 teams from Russia and 19 other countries on the European, Asian, African and Latin American continents will take part in the competition. They also report that “the Chinese military will take part in 22 competitions, and the teams from Kazakhstan – in 21. The Russian team will take part in all 23 competitions.”
African countries at the Int’l Army Games
Out of the 23 contests advertised, 17 contests are for the Army, two for the Navy and three for the Air Force. Five African countries; Angola, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Morocco participate in the International Army Games. Algeria and Namibia sent representatives to observe the games.
Egypt is the only African country that takes part in the most competitions, six to be precise.
- Field kitchen: competition among gastronomy professionals
- Armored Vehicle Masters: Competition between the crews of armored ships
- Clear Skies: Competition between AD units
- Safe Route: Competition between engineering crew units
- Airplane Train: Competition between Airplane Trains
- Safe environment: competition between nuclear, biological and chemical (ABC) personnel
Angola takes part in five competitions, Zimbabwe in four, South Africa and Morocco in one each.
Competitions at the International Army Games
There are a total of 22 International Army Games 2016 competitions to test the military capabilities of the invited countries. Check out the various competitions held at the annual military event and find out how tough you think your country really is.
1. Tank Biathlon: The team consists of 20 tank crews and will be held at the Alabino training area in the Moscow region with a total of 17 countries including Angola and Zimbabwe.
2. Suvorov Attack: Is a competition between IFV teams and is also held by a maximum of 20 people in the same place as the Tank Biathlon. There are 5 countries involved; Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Iran and Venezuela.
3. Sniper Frontier: Is the competition among snipers with the participation of 12 countries, including Zimbabwe, in the Gvardeisky training area, Otar, Republic of Kazakhstan. The team consists of 10 people.
4. Safe Route: This is the competition among engineers in which only 4 countries participate. Russia, China, Belarus and Kazakhstan at the Volzhskiy training ground, Volgograd region.
5th Armourer: a competition between maintenance platoons held in Penza with 3 participating countries; Russia, China and Kazakhstan in a team of 32 people.
6. Clear skies: a competition among the AD unit; Location, Yeisk, Krasnodar Territory with 8 participating countries including Angola and Egypt. The team consists of a maximum of 30 people.
7. Key to Heaven: is a competition of the AD missile unit, held at the Ashuluk training area in the Astrakhan region with a team of 17 people from 4 countries, including Russia, China, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
8. Army Scout Master: The competition takes place among reconnaissance units in the Novosibirsk area with 6 participating countries including Zimbabwe and is conducted by a team of 21 people, max.
9. Technical Formula: Teams (18 people) from 3 countries, Russia, China and Kazakhstan took part in the competition in Volzhsky, Volgograd.
10. Safe environment: competition between NBC protection units in the Pesochnoye training area, Yaroslavl region. The teams (20 people) from 4 countries including Egypt took part in the competition.
11th Maintenance Battalion: The competition between maintenance units will be held in Omsk with 3 participating countries and teams of 28 people.
12. Open Water: The Open Water, held in Murom, Vladimir Region, is the competition between pontoon bridge crews composed of teams of up to 95 people from three countries – Russia, Serbia and China.
13. Elbrus Ring: The competition between mountain units was held in Terskol, Kabardino-Balkar Republic. Teams from 4 countries took part.
14. True Friend: A competition among dog handlers with ten participating teams from 5 countries.
15th Military Medical Relay Race: the competition among medical departments was held in Saint-Petersburg; Teams of 11 people from 4 countries including Zimbabwe, Russia, China and Kazakhstan.
16. Field kitchen: the competition among food service specialists. Teams (5 people) from 6 countries took part in the competition, including Zimbabwe and Egypt.
17. Armored Vehicle Masters: This competition belongs to the tank crews from 5 countries, including Egypt, at the Ostrogozhsk training area in the Voronezh region. These are teams of 15 members.
18. Sea Born Assualt: This is a naval unit competition held at the Khmelevka Training Area, Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Region. Teams (45 people) from 5 countries took part in the competition.
19. Sea Cup: the competition among the crews of warships was held on Novorossiysk, Black Sea Makhachkala, Caspian Sea with teams of countries taking part. A team of 195 people on the Black Sea and 65 people on the Caspian Sea.
20. Aviadarts: The competition will be conducted by flight crews with teams (103 people) from 4 countries including Russia, Belarus, China and Kazakhstan.
Ryazan region.
21. Draft: teams (29 people) from 7 countries, including Egypt, took part in the competition at the Rayevsky training ground in Novorossiysk.
22. Depth: The competition among divers was held in Sevastopol, Crimea with only three participating countries, Russia, Venezuela and Iran.