#14 - RW 262
Vremya MN
No. 78
June 2003
[translation from RIA Novosti for pesonal use only]
ARE RUSSIA'S ARMED FORCES READY TO COPE WITH NEW CHALLENGES?
Viktor LITOVKIN, RIA Novosti's military analyst special to Vremya MN

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation discussed the substantial rearmament of our Armed Forces, as well as ways of streamlining the national recruiting system and the structure of this country's Armed Forces some time ago. In his words, these are the key aspects of the ongoing military reform, which was launched several years ago. How did that reform begin? What is the Russian army like today? Our newspaper will try and answer these questions with the help of specific facts and figures. All information was taken from open publications.

Russia retained 70 percent of the former Soviet Union's military potential, its inland military districts, for the most part. At the same time, Moscow monopolized its strategic nuclear arsenals, also controlling former Soviet naval forces and space-satellite clusters, all the main communications and troop-control networks, test and training centres, as well as all state reserves. However, Russia was deprived of the most powerful combined-army and air force formations, which were deployed in Ukraine and Belarus. On the other hand, all important army divisions were re-deployed from Eastern Europe to Russia. Meanwhile the Russian Federation was forced to finance the entire troop re-deployment program, housing programs, as well as the creation of a new combat infrastructure and army reform aspects.

This country's National Security Council endorsed the Russian military doctrine and national security concept at the turn of the century. These documents no longer stipulate the former USSR's commitment no to be the first to use nuclear weapons in case of possible aggression; this provision was omitted for the first time in post-Soviet history. Moreover, Russia reserves the right to use such weapons against any nuclear power or its allies, if it becomes impossible to stop an aggression by any other means. This provision serves to deter potential threats, regardless of their origin, rather seriously.

At the same time, the Russian military doctrine and national security concept are currently being revised on Vladimir Putin's instruction. This is being done in connection with new threats and challenges now facing our defense capability. Among other things, their list includes rampant international terrorism.

How Many Men in Uniform Are There?

As of January 1, 2003, the Russian Armed Forces numbered 1,162,213 men and women in uniform. This list includes 1,400 generals and admirals. On March 25, 2000 the Russian head of state issued his instruction No. 289, which stipulates this number of generals and admirals. The document was translated into life by January 14, 2002. Add to this 138,000 contract soldiers. Women account for 48 percent of this sum total. 737,600 civilian specialists should also be mentioned here.

Sergei Ivanov has been the Russian Defense Minister since 2001, and General of the Army Anatoly Kvashnin has been chief of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces since 1997.

The Russian Armed Forces were reduced by more than 50 percent over the last 11 years. Another 36,800 officers and soldiers are to get their walking papers over the 2003 period according to the military reform's plans.

The federal law "On Defense" lists some other military formations. For instance, the Russian Interior Ministry boasts 649,000 personnel, including 186,300 serving with its security forces. The Justice Ministry's penitentiary system boasts 251,600 men and women in uniform. The national border control force, which was recently transferred under FSB (Federal Security Service) jurisdiction, numbers 165,000 servicemen. The FSB itself has 66,200 officers. The revamped Federal Government Communications and Information Agency boasts 38,500 men and women in uniform. Add to this 22,100 people serving with the national Emergency Situations Ministry. The State Fire-Fighting Service, which was transferred under this Ministry's jurisdiction has 73,000 active members. The Federal Body Guards Service boasts 11,500 people. The Russian railroad force has 48,000 people. Meanwhile the State Customs Committee and the main department of presidential special programs also boast their own military personnel. All in all, Russian power agencies now have 3,203,000 servicemen, as well as 4.5 million civilian specialists.

Russia's Armed Forces have three services, i.e. the Land Forces (numerical strength, 321,000), the Air Force and the Air-Defense Force (148,600 personnel), as well as the Navy (171,500 personnel). As of 1992, this country had five armed services, including the air-defense force and the strategic missile force.

Our Armed Forces are deployed in six military districts, four fleets as well as eight combined armies. Add to this six air-force and air-defense armies, six regional squadrons, two army corps and two naval squadrons. The Russian Armed Forces also comprise the Strategic Missile Force, the Space Force and the Airborne Force. However, these military formations now have service-branch, rather than armed-service, status.

The Strategic Missile Force

The Russian Strategic Missile Force (Commander Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov) is the main strike element of our Armed Forces, reliably deterring any potential aggressor. The Strategic Missile Force, which accounts for just under 10 percent of the entire numerical strength of Russia's Armed Forces, boasts 75 percent of the entire nuclear throw-weight of our deterrent forces, also wielding nearly 66 percent of all combat- ready strategic Russian missiles. As of January 1, 2003, the Strategic Missile Force comprised four missile armies. However, the 53rd missile army with its headquarters in Chita was disbanded not so long ago. As a result, only three missile armies remain to date. Add to this 18 ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) divisions, whose number was pruned to 16 later this year. All in all, they had 735 ICBMs replete with 3,159 nuclear warheads. Their list includes 150 RS-36MUTTH and R-36-M2 Voyevoda silo-based ICBMs with ten MIRVs (Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicles) (NATO reporting name, SS-18 Satan), as well as 150 UR-100-NUTTH silo-based and MIRVed ICBMs (900 warheads, all told). The latter are referred to as SS-19 Stiletto by NATO experts. Moreover, this country has 36 RT-23-UTTH Molodets MIRVed railroad ICBMs replete with 360 warheads riding on ten trains (NATO reporting name, SS-24 Scalpel). All these ICBM complexes will have to be scrapped within the next few years. Apart from that, our Strategic Missile Force has 360 RT-2PM Topol mobile ground-based and single-warhead ICBM complexes (NATO reporting name, SS-25 Sickle), as well as 39 RT-2PM2 Topol-M single-warhead silo-based complexes (NATO reporting name, SS-27 Topol-M2), which will phase out obsolete missiles.

The Treaty On Strategic Offensive Reductions, which was signed by the Presidents of Russia and the United States in May 2002, and that was ratified by the Russian State Duma a year later, states expressly that all Russian and US strategic ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) shall retain 1,700-2,200 nuclear warheads by the year 2012. Still the document says nothing about the structure and organization of strategic nuclear forces. The Strategic Missile Force will continue to be scaled down, nonetheless acting as the Russian army's main striking force and deterrent.

The Navy

Apart from the Strategic Missile Force, the Russian Navy (Commander Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov) wields its own strategic nuclear-tipped missiles. As of January 1, 2003, the Navy had 13 strategic submarines ballistic nuclear (SSBNs) replete with 216 SLBMs. Mk 667 Dolphin (Delta-4) SSBNs are fitted with 96 SLBMs; five Mk 667 Kalmar (Delta-3) SSBNs have 80 SLBMs. Two Akula (Shark) SSBNs (NATO reporting name, Typhoon) boast 40 missiles. The first keel of the prototype Borei SSBN was laid at the Severodvinsk ship-yard in November 1996; however, none of these new submarines has so far been commissioned. Moreover, it's still too early to speak about their weapons systems.

Russian SSBNs serve with the Northern and Pacific fleets, which have their headquarters in Severomorsk (Murmansk region) and Vladivostok, respectively. Two other fleets, i.e. the Black Sea fleet (Sevastopol) and the Baltic fleet (Kaliningrad), as well as the Caspian squadron (Astrakhan), lack such submarines. The Russian Navy has one aircraft carrier (air-capable cruiser), i.e. the Admiral Kuznetsov replete with 20 Sukhoi Su-33 warplanes, as well as seven nuclear-powered battle-cruisers (including the most powerful Pyotr Veliky (The Great)), five Moskva-class guided-missile cruisers, 14 capital ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) ships of the Admiral Panteleyev class, ten frigates, as well as 35 nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarines and diesel-powered submarines replete with cruise missiles, mines and torpedoes on board. Their list includes eight Mk 949A submarines. (The ill-fated Mk-949A Kursk submarine was lost with all hands in August 2000 - Ed.) Besides, one should mention 88 coastal ships and more than 500 supply ships. More than 50 percent of all supply ships are aged over 30 years and have to be either overhauled or replaced. This program will require about 500 million roubles of budgetary appropriations. The Navy boasts 217 bombers, attack planes, fighters and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as 102 helicopters.

The Air Force

The Russian Air Force (Commander General of the Army Vladimir Mikhailov) also has its own nuclear weapons. Our strategic bombers are part and parcel of the 37th detached air-force army (strategic air command). The Air Force wields 15 Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers (NATO reporting name, Blackjack), which are deployed in Engels (Saratov region). Meanwhile the Gorbunov aircraft production association is now assembling three more Tu-160s. Apart from that, our Air Force boasts 63 Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers, as well as 117 Tu-22M3 Backfire intermediate-range bombers, in Engels, Ryazan and Ukrainka (the Russian Far East). They can carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. Russia's strategic air command displayed its impressive combat potential in May 2003, with Tu-160 and Tu-95MS missile carriers taking off from Engels and Ryazan and hitting their respective targets in the Indian Ocean by cruise missiles. They cooperated with warships of the Black Sea fleet and the Pacific fleet during their simulated combat sorties.

Apart from the strategic air command, the Air Force includes the military-transport command, the fighter command, the front aviation and the army-aviation command. 128 servicemen were killed in 2002 when a Mil Mi-24 helicopter crashed near Khankala. Consequently, the army-aviation command was transferred under the Air Force's jurisdiction. All in all, the list of Russian warplanes also includes more than 830 Su-24 Fencer, Su-25 Frogfoot and Su-32 ground-attack jets and bombers, over 908 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, MiG-29 Fulcrum, MiG-31 Foxhound and Su-27 Flanker fighters (about 400 Su war planes), 20 A-50 AWACS-type early-warning planes, over 320 Ilyushin Il-76MD, Antonov An-12, An-124 and An-22 cargo aircraft, as well as 1,700 helicopter gunships and transport choppers (mostly Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-26 models). However, the Air Force has just eight Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark attack helicopters.

Russian air-force pilots don't receive adequate flight training because petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) are scarce. As a rule, each pilot is supposed to annually fly for 120-150 hours. However, tactical-command pilots manage to fly for just 25 hours; meanwhile the respective average for our military- transport command is 60 hours.

The Air-Defense Force was placed under the Air-Force's jurisdiction in March 1998. The Air-Defense Force and the Air Force's fighter command are called on to shield administrative Russian centers, as well as this country's industrial-economic districts. Moreover, they defend military formations and vital military-industrial facilities from enemy air and space strikes. The Air-Defense Force comprises SAM units, radio-electronic warfare units, as well as many other logistics-support elements.

The Air-Defense Force has about 2,000 S-300PMU Favorit surface-to-air missile (SAM) complexes, which were developed by the Almaz (Diamond) science and production association; these weapons form its mainstay. The state-of-the-art S-400 Triumph SAM complex is to be adopted in late 2003.

The Space Force

The Russian Space Force (Commander Col.-Gen. Anatoly Perminov) is also called on to shield this country from ICBM strikes. This branch of the service consists of a space-radar network, as well as an early-warning network (i.e. nine ground-based Dnestr, Daryal and Dnepr radars in Olenegorsk, Murmansk region; Mishelevka near Irkutsk; Pechora, Yeniseisk near Krasnoyarsk; Nikolayev near Sevastopol; Beregovoye near Mukachevo; Gabala near Mingechaur; lake Balkhash; and Gantsevichi near Baranovichi. Moreover, it comprises a space-satellite cluster), the Moscow ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) system, which, in turn, consists of the Don-2 target-acquisition and fire- control radar near Sofrino (Moscow region), as well as 100 Gazelle and Galosh medium-range and long-range missile interceptors. Add to this the Plesetsk missile range Arkhangelsk region and the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

Table One

Combat Hardware and Weapons of the Russian Armed Forces

Armed Personnel, Weapons, Services/ Branches of the Service

Strategic Missile Force: 100,000

735 ICBMs and
3,190 nuclear warheads

Navy: 171,500

13 SSBNs and 216 missiles
one aircraft carrier (air-capable cruiser)
seven nuclear-powered battle-cruisers
five guided-missile cruisers
14 capital ASW (Anti- Submarine warfare) ships and
10 frigates

Air Force: 148,600

16 Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers
63 Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers
117 Tu-22-M3 Backfire intermediate-range bombers
860 ground-attack planes
908 fighters
20 AWACS early-warning aircraft
320 cargo planes
1,700 helicopters
2,000 S-300PMU surface-to-air (SAM) missile complexes

Land Forces: 321,000
20,000 tanks
15,000 armored fighting vehicles
21,000 artillery systems
2,670 anti-ballistic missile (ABM) and air-defense complexes

The Land Forces

Our Land Forces (Commander Col.-Gen. Nikolai Kormiltsev) are the largest fighting service, which controls the vastest territory of the country. The Land Forces comprise various branches of the service, i.e. mechanized infantry, the tank force, missile units, artillery units and the air-defense force. Add to this special forces, i.e. reconnaissance units, the signal corps, radio-electronic warfare units, combat-engineer units, NBC (Nuclear, Bacteriological, Chemical) units, nuclear-technical units, logistics-support units, automobile units and territorial-security units. The Land Forces comprise six military districts, i.e. the Leningrad military district (headquarters in St. Petersburg), the Moscow military district (HQ in Moscow), the North Caucasian military district (HQ in Rostov-on-Don), the Volga-Urals military district (HQ in Yekaterinburg), the Siberian military district (HQ in Chita), the Far Eastern military district (HQ in Khabarovsk) and the Kaliningrad special district (HQ in Kaliningrad).

The Land Forces wield more than 20,000 T-72, T-80U and T-90 main battle tanks; this number includes 150 T-90 tanks. Moreover, they boast nearly 15,000 BMP-1 and BMP-2 mechanized infantry fighting vehicles (MICVs), as well as 100 BMP-3 MICVs. Add to this 12,000 armored personnel carriers (APCs), mostly BTR-60/70 and BTR-80 APCs, as well as over 21,000 artillery systems, i.e. 122-mm, 130-mm, 152-mm and 203-mm field guns and howitzers, Gvozdika (Carnation), Acatsiya and Msta-S self-propelled guns, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), anti-tank guns, Grad (Hail), Uragan (Hurricane) and Smerch (Tornado) multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), as well as air-defence and ABM systems (more than 2,670 units). Their list includes Strela (Arrow) and Igla (Needle) MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems), Osa (Wasp)-AKM, Tor-M1, Buk-M and S-300V complexes, which can hit aerial targets at ranges between 500 meters and 150-200 km, as well as at 10-meter and 35-km altitudes. Most Land Forces' weapons systems (up to 80 percent) just as of the Armed Forces as a whole are aged between 20 and 30 years. An individual soldier's power-to-weight ratio seems to be the most serious problem. (This term denotes the per capita number and quality of weapons, combat hardware and combat-support equipment, as well as combat-support systems for units and formations, i.e. reconnaissance, communications networks, navigation, target-acquisition systems, automatic fire-control and troop-control systems, as well as radio-electronic warfare means.) Military-reform plans imply that the rearmament program will get underway over the 2008-2010 period.

Peace-Keepers

Some Land Forces, Air Force and Navy units serve abroad, that is, in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Africa and the Middle East. Russian peace-keepers, who also serve on former Yugoslav territory, are to leave that region by August 1, 2003. Moreover, Russian peace-keeping forces are stationed in Abkhazia and Transdniestria. Russian military observers serve under the UN flag in Bosnia, Croatia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, West Sahara and the Middle East. Some Airborne Force units also take an active part in peace-keeping operations.

The Airborne Force

This arm of the service (Commander Col.-Gen. Georgy Shpak) plays the part of the Commander-in-Chief's reserve, also acting as the main element of Russia's projected mobile forces. The Airborne Force comprises four divisions, one brigade, several detached regiments, as well as its own personnel-training center. Add to this the world's only Ryazan airborne-force institute. The Airborne Force now has 45,000 officers and men. Russian paratroopers fought in every former Soviet hot spot, also acting as peace-keepers in Tajikistan, Transdniestria, Abkhazia and Yugoslavia.

In 2002 an extremely important, for the country and its Armed Forces, contract-service experiment was launched at the 76th Chernigov Order of the Red Banner guards division, which is stationed in Pskov. It is taking place in a rather involved situation. Low contract-soldier wages are now seen as the main problem. Right now, one soldier gets 5,286 roubles each month; however, technically skilled, well-educated, strong, morally and mentally stable people won't agree to serve for such money.

Inching Toward a Military Reform

Nonetheless, the Government of Russia endorsed the federal target program for introducing partial contract service over the 2004-2007 period. This program is going to encompass 140,000 soldiers of permanent-readiness units and formations (i.e. ten combined-army, tank and airborne divisions, seven brigades and 13 regiments), as well as 30,000 soldiers of the national Interior Ministry's security forces, border guards and railroad-force personnel. The military estimate that it will take 138 billion roubles' worth of federal appropriations to implement the partial contract-service program. The SSBN fleet and nuclear-powered warships will start receiving contract sailors January 1, 2004. The General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces claims that military- service periods will be gradually reduced, after the share of contract soldiers exceeds the 50-percent mark. In the long run, Russian soldiers, who now have to complete a 24-month stint in the army, will be serving only 12 months. This task was set by President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation in his state-of-the-nation address. This program must be translated into life, thus enabling us to talk about a full-fledged military reform.

Meanwhile Russia's Armed Forces receive volunteers, i.e. contract soldiers, as well as conscripts, in line with the mixed-recruitment principle being stipulated by the national Constitution, the law "On Defense," the law "On the Status of Servicemen," as well as the law "On Military Duty and Military Service." All Russian citizens are conscripted in line with the exterritorial principle every spring and fall.

This country's Fundamental Law states expressly that all Russian citizens, who can't take up arms because of their religious convictions, have the right to request alternative civil service. The alternative-service bill, which was passed by the State Duma, will be enacted January 1, 2004. According to its provisions, people, who lack any higher education, shall be entitled to 3.5-year alternative civil service. The representatives of some political parties have submitted their amendments to the State Duma, suggesting that the alternative civil-service period be reduced. However, such amendments still remain to be adopted.

The Russian Armed Forces boast nearly 50 military academies, universities and institutes, which annually graduate some 30,000 officers with a higher education. Nonetheless, not all of them remain in the army. The Defense Ministry's official statistics imply that 37 percent of all officers aged under 40 quit the Armed Forces ahead of schedule; 80 percent of them are aged under 30.

416,500 officers resigned over the 1995-2002 period, with 244,000 officers replacing them. The list of rookie officers includes 180,600 military-school graduates, 26,500 reservists serving on contract, 2,200 sub-lieutenants from military-district courses, as well as 4,100 former sergeants and sergeant-majors. However, all this doesn't rectify the situation. All-out officer resignations can mostly be explained by pitifully low wages, which make it impossible to support a family. A lieutenant gets 6,048 roubles (including all bonuses). A captain (company commander) is entitled to 6,947 roubles, all told. An Lt.-Col. (battalion commander) gets a total of 8,193 roubles. A colonel (regiment commander) receives 10,003 roubles. For his own part, a Maj.-Gen. (divisional commander) can count on a handsome 11,849 roubles. And, finally, Russian officers are highly unlikely to get apartments of their own. Virtually 33 percent of all officers (165,000) lack apartments to date.

Professional armed forces are the only way to solve the army's social problems, to enhance military-service prestige and to recruit top-notch professionals, to drastically improve military discipline and to implement a rearmament program. This is the main military-reform task; otherwise Russia will continue to lack powerful, professional, compact, mobile, hi-tech and combat-ready armed forces, which are sorely needed for the sake of its peaceful development.

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