The last of which is “Desert Shield”.. What do you know about the military maneuvers between Russia and Algeria?

Russian army said that Algeria will host a joint military exercise between the two countries, dubbed “Desert Shield”. These exercises bring to the fore the military partnership between the two countries, which dates back to the era of Algeria’s independence from French colonialism.

Russian army said that Algeria will host the first joint military exercises between the two countries, dubbed “Desert Shield”. (AFP)

According to what was announced by the media office of the Russian Southern Military District, the Russian forces will conduct a joint maneuver with their Algerian counterpart, called “Desert Shield”, which will be organized for the first time in Algeria, where the participating forces will train to carry out “anti-terrorist threats” operations.

These maneuvers are not the only joint maneuvers conducted by the armies of the two countries during this year. On the other hand, their frequency indicates the strong defense partnership that brings together Moscow and Algeria, which dates back to the first years of its independence.

desert shield

“For the first time in Algeria, a joint exercise between Russia and Algeria to combat terrorism (Desert Shield 2022) will be organized,” the media office of the Russian Southern Military District said in a statement. He added that this maneuver, which will be organized in November at the Hamagir training ground in Algeria, will include “tactical actions to search for and destroy terrorists in the desert.”

The media office indicated that about 80 Russian soldiers from the motorized rifle formations stationed in the North Caucasus, and 80 Algerian soldiers will participate in the event. The first joint Russian-Algerian tactical exercise of this kind took place in October 2021 at the Tarskoye training ground in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, in which about 200 soldiers from the two countries participated.

The first announcement of the Desert Shield was last April, when the Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Amamra visited Moscow and met with its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the head of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev. According to media reports, during that the exercise scenario was coordinated and logistics, including accommodation procedures, were coordinated.