The Collective Security Treaty Organization, which brings Russia together with Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, is bracing itself for tackling security challenges that may emerge after NATO’s pullout from Afghanistan in 2014.

Speaking at the CSTO summit held in the Kremlin Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin also praised the organization for successful crisis management, foreign policy coordination and close cooperation in defense.

The summit issued a statement condemning America’s unilateral missile defense plans and ruled to add commando and aviation units to the CSTO’s joint rapid reaction force, The Voice of Russia reported.