Reconnaissance with question

What could be behind Belarus’ high place in the American military strength ranking

In the recently published list of the world’s strongest armies, according to the American magazine U.S. News & World Report, Belarus’ Armed Forces took 12th place out of 89. It would seem an unexpected compliment from overseas military experts. But what in reality could they be guided by when making such an assessment?

Allied Resolve 2022 military exercises, Gozhsky training ground in Grodno Region       Yegor Yermalitsky

Exploring the positions

If you look closely at the rating, you can see several important patterns. The top 12 is compiled in such a way that it contains most of the countries for which the United States does not have enthusiastic feelings: Russia is at the top of the list, China is the fourth, Iran is the sixth and Belarus closes the dozen. NATO is represented by the United States in the second position, as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, Türkiye and France. Stuck in the eighth place is Ukraine — a vassal of the western club — with the collective West’s weapons and money, it solves the tasks set in Washington. At the same time, the rest of the alliance members mostly hang out somewhere closer to the middle of the rating and below.
Now, if we put everything together, we get a picture with several clear messages, at least one of which concerns Belarus. First, according to the American compilers of the list, NATO countries are militarily weaker than their opponents, which, naturally, should encourage the audience to desire to at least achieve parity by building up military power. Secondly, the ranking has demonstrated the tragic eight-point gap between Russia and Ukraine. It is convenient to use it both to justify defeats on the fronts and to explain to the audience why it is necessary to send even more weapons to the Kiev regime. After all, it is fighting with the absolute world leader in the military field. Thirdly — as far as Belarus is concerned — we are actively being moulded into an aggressor. Our country is certainly developing militarily, yet this potential is aimed exclusively at defence.
This motive is best traced if we refer to the previous ratings of U.S. News & World Report. Belarus’ leap to the current 12th place began five years ago, just when the West began to create Belarus’ image of one of the main troublemakers in the region. Until then, we confidently held the 41st position. At the same time, Poland, which is already investing billions in the purchase of weapons and expanding the army, is much lower in the ranking than us. The situation is similar with Lithuania and Latvia, which generally languish at the bottom of the list, while in reality they follow the Polish example. 

The beneficiaries of such ratings are Western arms manufacturers and politicians who have merged in a touching symbiosis. The first, of course, need a bloody profit, which is growing day by day similar to the appetites of businessmen. The latter need to preserve Western hegemony, even by unleashing a global conflict.

Military parade on Belarus' Independence Day on July 3rd                    Yegor Yermalitsky

Armour is strong

Military ratings should always be approached with a cool head since they can often serve someone’s very specific interests. Anyway, be that as it may, the Belarusian Armed Forces today represent a powerful and flexible mechanism for deterring the aggressive intentions of the West. It is based on the professionalism of our military, the saturation of troops with advanced weapons and the presence of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of the country.
The Belarusian Armed Forces are in perfect condition to protect the Motherland. By peacetime standards, they are compact, but in case of a threat of attack, it is possible to quickly increase their number at the expense of people who do not need to be taught to hold a machine gun in their hands.
The President began laying the foundation of our defence capability in the early years of his rule, when he did not allow the destruction of the vast Soviet arsenals that remained after the collapse of the USSR.
For the Belarusian army, reliable and powerful Soviet equipment became the basis for many years to come. Along with that, today we can rightfully say that Belarusian design engineers have not only developed the modernisation potential inherent in it, but also created their own school in many important areas.
The current military industry is a fusion of many different technologies. For the defence capability of the state, it is critical that the maximum possible number of equipment units be produced at enterprises within the country. 
A striking example of this approach is the T-72BM2 tank, created taking into account the experience of the special military operation. Its closest analogue is the Russian T-72B3, which proved itself in battles in Ukraine as a reliable machine with terrifying firepower. However, the Belarusian model compares favourably with its counterpart with a number of domestic innovations.
Another example of armoured vehicles — this time fully designed and built on our own, without the Soviet reserve — is the Volat V2 armoured personnel carrier. This is the development of the MZKT designers, who previously created a family of very successful Volat V1 armoured vehicles. Belarus is one of the recognised leaders in the post-Soviet space in the production of wheeled armoured vehicles. The workhorses of Belarus’ Special Operations Forces — the Cayman armoured reconnaissance vehicle and the monstrous 20-tonne Defender — say a lot.
Belarus also holds leading positions in the field of rocket science, which proves the huge scientific and industrial potential of our country. Probably everyone is familiar with the name Polonez — a multiple launch rocket system with a firing range of up to 300km, which, together with Iskander complexes supplied from Russia, guarantees unacceptable damage to any enemy.
The special military operation has shown that drones have become one of the dominant forces on the battlefield. What was a rarity just a few years ago is now an integral tool of any modern army. The armed forces, which are not equipped with UAVs and means of combating them, cannot even be called combat-ready today. This does not threaten the Belarusian army: the military-industrial complex consistently supplies units with a variety of unmanned vehicles. This topic is under the special control of the President.
Among the most significant unmanned acquisitions of the Belarusian army this year, it is worth noting the adoption of the Chekan V complex, which includes 7-10 kamikaze drones with a range of up to 25km. Elements of artificial intelligence are embedded in the UAV electronic ‘brain’, which allows performing tasks without an operator’s participation.

The Belarusian army is strong today and ready to repel the aggression of any enemy, not to mention the sabotage raids planned by fugitives. However, the best scenario would be one in which the West would come to its senses and we would not have to defend our independence with weapons in our hands.

Belarus-Russia joint military drills Union Shield            Yuri Mozolevsky

                                                                   FACT 

The Belarus-made Hunter attack drone is one of the few unmanned helicopters in the world that exists ‘in hardware’ and demonstrates high combat qualities.

NUMBER

90 percent of the implemented developments in the Belarusian Armed Forces are of domestic production (from an interview with Vadim Denisenko, Commander of Belarus’ Special Operations Forces, to the STV TV channel)

By Anton Popov