The construction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is one of the most important tasks solved by the state within the framework of organizing the defense of our country. The issues of the current state of the Russian army and the directions of its further development are an object of close attention and a subject for active discussion not only in Russian society, but also in foreign countries.
The nature and scale of measures taken to develop the Armed Forces is directly influenced by the emerging military-political situation in the world, which in modern conditions is acquiring an increasingly unpredictable and explosive nature. The threshold for the use of military force and the line between war and peace are being reduced. The demonstration or use of military force is becoming the most powerful tool in politics. In these conditions, ensuring the national security of the state is becoming more and more complex and complex and affects the issues of strategic deterrence, prevention of regional conflicts, the fight against terrorism, gaining information superiority and much more. This is confirmed by events in North Africa, Central Asia, Ukraine, the Middle East and around the Korean Peninsula.
Taking this into account, building up the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is one of the key tasks of the state leadership. The armed forces, of course, must be ready and able to ensure the repulsion of aggression directed against the Russian Federation, armed protection of the integrity and inviolability of its territory in any conditions of the evolving military-political situation.
In recent years, the country's leadership has carried out large-scale work to improve the health of the Armed Forces, to bring them to a level that allows ensuring the military security of Russia in modern conditions. It was of a diverse nature and affected all aspects of the life of the army and navy. Analysis of the results obtained confirms the correctness of the chosen course.
STRICTLY IN THE WORLD TREND
The decisions to create inter-service groupings of troops in strategic directions, as well as the Aerospace Defense Forces, have fully justified themselves. An important practical step was the formation of formations and military units of constant readiness. They are fully prepared to tackle combat missions. The existing structure of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation currently provides effective command and control of troops (forces) when performing tasks in peacetime and wartime.
As you know, at present the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation include: central bodies of military command; three branches of the armed forces - the Ground Forces, the Air Force and the Navy; three branches of the armed forces - the Strategic Missile Forces, the Aerospace Defense Forces, the Airborne Forces, as well as troops (forces) not included in the branches and branches of the Armed Forces.
It should be noted that the development of the armed forces of any state is a continuous process that is carried out constantly and has a worldwide practice. Similar transformations are taking place in the armed forces of the leading foreign countries - the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, China. The world, economic and political conditions are changing, new models of weapons, military and special equipment are being created and, as a result, the armed forces are changing, their organizational and staffing structure, composition, quantitative and qualitative indicators, the system of training, education and manning are improving.
Accordingly, we must, taking into account the analysis of all factors and conditions (the forecast of the development of the military-political situation, changes in the nature of the armed struggle, the directions of development of the armed forces of leading foreign states, socio-economic, demographic factors), determine the vector of military development and set targets for quantitative qualitative characteristics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020 and beyond.
During 2013-2014, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin held a series of meetings in the city of Sochi with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense and representatives of the defense industry complex on the state and prospects for the development of the Armed Forces. At these meetings, the main directions for the further development of the army and navy were determined. The most pressing issues were discussed at a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on July 5, 2013. The main directions of improving the military organization of the state for the period up to 2020 and further prospects, including the directions of development of the Armed Forces, are outlined.
WHAT TO DO
The main directions are:
- development of strategic nuclear forces;
- building up the combat capabilities of inter-service groupings of troops (forces) in strategic directions;
- improving the control system of the Armed Forces;
- increasing the efficiency of the aerospace defense system;
- equipping troops with modern weapons and military equipment;
- improving the military infrastructure;
- increasing the efficiency of training troops (forces);
- solution of social issues of servicemen and their families.
The priority task for the Russian Ministry of Defense is to ensure the priority development of the strategic nuclear forces. The strategic nuclear forces are based on the Strategic Missile Forces equipped with stationary and mobile missile systems. As part of the implementation of the state armament program, it is planned to re-equip the Strategic Missile Forces with a promising strategic missile complex "Yars", which has increased capabilities to overcome an in-depth missile defense. By 2021, the share of modern missile weapons in the Strategic Missile Forces will be brought to 100%.
The naval strategic nuclear forces, including strategic submarines of the Northern and Pacific fleets, are constantly on duty at the bases and areas of combat patrols. By 2021, it is planned to include seven new strategic missile submarines in the naval strategic nuclear forces.
As for the strategic aviation nuclear forces, it is planned to modernize the entire fleet of strategic bombers until 2021, as well as to develop a promising long-range aviation complex and a new generation of aviation weapons.
The next task is to improve the inter-service groupings of military districts, taking into account the self-sufficiency of their composition in combat and support formations, as well as maintaining the required level of their combat capability. Development measures will be aimed at increasing firepower, mobility and autonomy of formations, improving intelligence and information support systems. Particular attention will be paid to enhancing the capabilities of special forces.
By the end of 2020, it is planned to equip formations and military units with promising models of weapons and military equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles, robotic systems and military equipment. Armed with new systems of rocket and cannon artillery with increased range and accuracy of hitting targets. All missile brigades of the Ground Forces are planned to be re-equipped with the modern Iskander-M missile system.
Improving the effectiveness of weapons systems will be implemented through the use of nanotechnology, alternative fuels, propellants, protective materials that reduce the signature and increase the protective properties of weapons.
The development of formations and military units of the Navy will be aimed at building up their combat potential by accepting new projects of multipurpose nuclear and non-nuclear submarines, ships of far and near sea zones armed with precision weapons. Particular attention is paid to the Arctic. On the basis of the Northern Fleet, it is planned to create an inter-service grouping of troops and forces responsible for military security in the Arctic region.
With the incorporation of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, additional decisions were made to increase the combat capabilities of the Black Sea Fleet. On the territory of the Crimean peninsula, it is planned to have an inter-service grouping of troops and forces capable of guaranteeing military security in this important region for Russia.
The basis of the armament of the naval forces of the Navy for the period up to 2020 will be high-precision long-range cruise missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles. The ships will be armed with robotic equipment for various purposes, including autonomous uninhabited vehicles. After 2020, it is planned to create promising warships, deep-sea marine systems of a new generation, deploy robotic systems in the areas of naval bases to perform a set of tasks of anti-mine and anti-submarine sabotage support, as well as monitoring the underwater environment.
The shift in the emphasis of armed warfare to the aerospace sphere necessitates building up the combat capabilities of the country's aerospace defense system. It is based on the Aerospace Defense Forces, aviation formations and air defense formations of military districts. They will be armed with promising radar systems for the missile attack warning system and anti-aircraft missile systems with increased combat capabilities.
Intensive combat training is going on in the troops almost continuously and literally in all subdivisions. Photo from the official website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
An increase in the combat capabilities of aviation formations and military units is envisaged by reorganizing existing air bases into aviation divisions, aviation regiments and army aviation brigades, which are planned to be deployed taking into account the promising aviation basing system. A unified anti-aircraft missile system, an automated radar system and a promising automated control system for aviation and air defense will be created. It will become possible to intercept warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic aircraft. In addition, it is planned to complete the formation of a continuous radar field along the borders of Russia in the entire range of heights. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the orbital grouping of spacecraft for various purposes will allow the Armed Forces to fully solve the tasks of information support for the actions of groupings of troops (forces) in terms of reconnaissance, communications and combat control.
In the future, the troops will receive means of detecting and recognizing targets based on new physical principles.
It is planned to develop a system of launch vehicles for spacecraft, ensuring the independence of the space activities of the Russian Federation from foreign states.
An increase in the combat capabilities of the Airborne Forces for the operational fulfillment of missions to suppress crisis situations is envisaged by increasing the composition of formations and military units and equipping them with modern weapons and military equipment.
DEFENSE POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE MULTIPLY
An increase in the level of combat power of the Armed Forces largely depends on an increase in the quality of their command and control. Therefore, the task of creating a promising command and control system and a unified intelligence and information space of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a priority for us.
In order to improve the control system of the Armed Forces, as well as the military organization of the state as a whole, in accordance with the decision of the President of the Russian Federation, the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation began functioning on April 1, 2014. A network of similar centers is being deployed at the regional and territorial levels in military districts, associations and formations. To ensure the operation of the centers, a multilevel automated control system is being created and a single information space is being formed. In the future, the system being created will cover all levels of command and control of the Armed Forces, and will also allow coordinating the efforts of all ministries and departments involved in the defense of the Russian Federation.
By 2021, we must create a promising automated control system for the Armed Forces and a unified automated digital communication system.
The new ACS will automatically form and display the actual situation at each level in real time. Based on the analysis of constantly updated data, the system should in a short time (hours, minutes) offer the commander (commander) several possible options for troop actions and fire damage. It is planned to increase the combat potential of troops by 30-40% through intellectual support, shortening the command cycle, and raising awareness of commanders and staffs. After 2020, it is envisaged to build up the capabilities of the control system through the intellectualization of software, integration into it of promising weapons and military equipment, including robotic ones.
The increase in the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces is directly related to their equipping with modern weapons and military equipment. To solve this problem, within the framework of the implementation of the state armament program in the period 2014-2020, it is planned to purchase more than 650 aircraft and about 1 thousand helicopters, more than 5 thousand units of weapons and military equipment and more are expected to be delivered to the formations of the Ground Forces and the Navy. 70 modern warships and multipurpose submarines.
Taking into account the growing role and importance of precision weapons, it is planned to quadruple the number of long-range precision weapons carriers by 2021, and more than 30 times the number of long-range cruise missiles of various bases. In order to improve the system of reconnaissance and information support, it is planned to gradually equip the Armed Forces with complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles of various classifications. It is planned to purchase more than 4 thousand UAVs for various purposes. In general, the implementation of the state armament program will make it possible by the end of 2020 to bring the share of modern weapons and military equipment in the Armed Forces to 70-100%.
Particular attention is paid to the creation of a promising troop basing system. It is planned to create (reconstruct) military camps with a modern social infrastructure.
For new types of weapons and military equipment, it is planned to build about 100 facilities, including for the placement of Iskander missile systems, strategic missile submarines, airfields, radar stations for various purposes and other infrastructure facilities.
By 2016, it is planned to equip more than 300, and by 2020 - all existing military camps. It is planned to build over 3 thousand different objects on their territory. These are barracks, parks of military vehicles, canteens, as well as training, sports and domestic facilities.
In order to ensure the military security of the Russian Federation in the Arctic, it is planned to restore airfields and mooring facilities on the islands and the coast of the region in the coming years.
Modern weapons and military equipment, new forms and methods of conducting military operations require an appropriate level of training of military command and control bodies and troops (forces).
NEW APPROACHES TO TROOP TRAINING
At present, the planning of combat training activities is carried out in such a way that each academic year ends with the conduct of brigade tactical exercises in relation to the tasks as intended. To improve the quality of combat training, its educational and material base is being updated in a planned manner.
Within five years, it is planned to create one interspecific training center in each military district, to form modern mountain, land and naval air training grounds, to equip more than 110 training grounds and training complexes. It is planned to equip about 200 formations and military units with modern technical training aids. For this, more than 230 simulators and 460 sets of polygon equipment will be purchased.
In order to disseminate advanced training methods for servicemen and improve their combat skills, the system of competition has been restored in the Armed Forces. Introduced into the practice of training troops, the competitions for air training of flight crews of the Air Force associations "Aviadarts", as well as the All-Army (international) competitions of tank platoons and crews "Tank Biathlon" are of great interest in the society.
For an objective assessment of the state of the Armed Forces, the practice of conducting surprise checks of the combat readiness of troops (forces) will continue. This makes it possible to obtain an objective picture of the state of the army and navy, to assess their ability to perform tasks as intended and, most importantly, to promptly respond to deficiencies identified during inspections.
New approaches to the training and use of troops determine the requirements for the activities of the military-scientific complex. Its work should be aimed at fulfilling the tasks of scientific support of the state's defense. The main efforts are planned to be focused on the most science-intensive and topical areas, which include the development of strategic deterrence forces and an aerospace defense system, the development of military-purpose robotic systems, the creation of a promising telecommunications infrastructure of the Armed Forces, as well as information warfare means. To ensure this task, the creation of a unified base of scientific knowledge is being completed, which will include all the available and expected results of research and development work carried out in the field of defense. Special attention is paid to training scientific personnel and strengthening the potential of research organizations, restoring the prestige and status of a military scientist, as well as creating an effective system for training researchers and developing scientific schools.
During 2014–2015, in a difficult demographic situation in the country, it is necessary to solve the problem of maintaining the manning level of the Armed Forces at the level of 95–100%. The solution to this problem is envisaged by increasing the number of servicemen doing military service under contract in the positions of warrant officers (warrant officers), sergeants (foremen), soldiers (sailors). Until 2021, it is planned to have more than 500 thousand servicemen of this category. On a priority basis, they are assigned to positions for the operation of complex and expensive weapons and military equipment, Navy personnel, combat units of the Airborne Forces, special forces and sergeants.
Special attention is paid to the social aspect of the development of the Armed Forces. The implementation of a set of measures aimed at enhancing the prestige and attractiveness of military service will continue. It is planned to complete the formation of a package of social guarantees for servicemen, members of their families and military pensioners. In the near future, it is planned to fully provide servicemen with permanent housing and switch to one-time payments of monetary subsidies to servicemen for the purchase of apartments. A fund for service housing is being created in a planned manner.
Measures have been determined for the patriotic education of servicemen and pre-conscription youth.
In order to popularize military service and enhance its prestige, a significant place is given to cultural events. Among them are the already popular international military music festivals "Spasskaya Tower" and "Amur Waves", the All-Russian Festival of Folk Art "Katyusha" and many others.
The practice of holding the annual Spartakiad of the Russian Defense Ministry between Suvorov military schools and cadet corps in military-applied sports will continue. The network of cultural and leisure facilities of the Armed Forces is being recreated.
For an open and constructive interaction with civil society, it is planned to publish a book on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the creation of a fundamental multivolume work "The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" is nearing completion.
The fulfillment of these tasks will allow the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to take a worthy place among the advanced armies of the leading states of the world. At the same time, they will be able to flexibly respond to changes in the external and internal political situation in new and promising forms and methods of conducting military operations, taking into account current and forecasted challenges and threats to the national interests of the Russian Federation.
