Belyaev: Belarusian Armed Forces focus on cutting-edge defence technologies
During his visit to the centre for preparation and use of unmanned aerial systems in the Bereza District, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko was reported on the formation of forces of unmanned aerial systems in Belarus. Aleksei Belyaev, Dean of the Journalism Department at the Belarusian State University and political expert, explained why it is important to develop this area in his talk with Alfa Radio.
Addressing national military security, he noted, “Unfortunately, the world has now reached a stage where the former system of security and organisation of international relations has collapsed. Today, each state individually has to create its own defence system and rely on its own alliances, because international defence doesn’t work, there is no international law, which has always condemned the war as a problem solution, the UN has basically become just a discussion platform. Countries truly defending their security should build their own effective armed forces and seek stronger allies. Certainly, Russia with its nuclear shield is the main ally for Belarus, but as they say — trust in God but keep your powder dry. Studying the experience of the recent military campaigns, our experts and military officers came to the conclusion that drones are a key element in the armed forces structure today. The establishment of a dedicated special unit for unmanned aerial systems is evidence of this.”
In particular, the political expert noted that Russia and Ukraine actively use drones, “Both sides are setting up whole enterprises, drones are being made in industrial scale, besides, almost every family in Ukraine is making artisanal ones at home. Why? Because it is a severe power to defeat the enemy. We’re also seeing the emphasis on the training of relevant specialists — it is not enough to simply produce drones, efficient operators who know how to handle them are essential as well. This is also a specific area of work and must be taught — in many countries now, even in the small country of Lithuania, they teach how to operate a drone at children's camps. Ukraine is actively involved in it trying to attract young people. Russia is also developing this area. In addition, the topicality of the issue is emphasised by the recent escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel.”
Aleksei Belyaev stated that drones are no silver bullet and incapable of radically changing the course of hostilities on their own. However, having competency in production and operation of the unmanned aerial systems, as well as in electronic warfare against them is essential.
“Our army is not that big in numbers and we can't afford bloated staffs,” the expert underlined. “So, Belarusian Armed Forces prioritise cutting-edge defence technologies, therefore own drone production is a vital issue. Moreover, it is important that we use our own capabilities and make drones from the parts that we have, rather than depending on imports for this purpose. It’s essential to have our own schemes that we understand and the potential enemy doesn’t, and we need to have our own control system. All of these things are very crucial to develop now, in peaceful times, because we see more and more conflicts breaking out around us, and how NATO behaves.”
To sum up the topic, the Dean of the Journalism Faculty of the Belarusian State University said, “We must have an effective response to external military challenges, and in terms of unmanned aerial systems there are three important elements: firstly, drone manufacturing of our own; secondly, training staff for them, operators who will control them remotely; and lastly, developing means of electronic warfare with drones. All this combined can significantly strengthen Belarusian security. And the President's attention towards drones once again demonstrates that topical security issues are always under his control.”
