In the last days of the outgoing year, it is customary to sum up and draw conclusions about the work of certain structures. The military is no exception to this rule. During 2016, the Ministry of Defense and related departments continued to implement a large variety of programs, as well as fulfill the assigned tasks, doing everything possible to improve the country's defense capability. Consider the progress made by the military this year.
Throughout 2016, the Ministry of Defense as a whole and various individual structures from its composition regularly reported on certain events, actions and plans. This disclosure policy allowed the general public to constantly monitor the progress of the armed forces and keep abreast of all major news. In addition, at the end of the year, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense announced a lot of new data revealing certain features of the department's activities in the outgoing year.
At an expanded meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense, December 22
On December 22, an expanded meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense was held at the National Center for Defense Management, during which several speeches and reports were made. The main results of the outgoing year were summed up in the report of Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu. In his report, the head of the Ministry of Defense touched upon a number of the most important topics in the field of the country's security, from military-political problems and threats to the numerical indicators of the current modernization of the army.
Older news and the latest information released in a recent report provide a fairly detailed picture of the development of the Russian armed forces, as well as the results of their activities in 2016. Consider the available data.
The structure and number of troops
In the outgoing year, the military department continued to implement existing plans to improve the quality of the armed forces. During the year, the manning level of the army was brought to 93% of the required number. The number of contract servicemen has been increased to 384 thousand people. For the first time in history, a full transfer of non-commissioned officers to a contract basis was carried out.
Through structural transformations and the formation of new formations, the combat potential of the ground forces was increased. They included ten new formations, including one tank and four motorized rifle divisions. The tasks of maintaining the required level of combat readiness of the strategic missile forces have been completed. At the moment, 99% of the available launchers are in combat readiness. More than 96% of the complexes are ready for immediate start-up. The airborne forces included three new reconnaissance battalions, six tank companies, as well as two electronic warfare companies and two equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles.
Arrival of the frigate "Admiral Grigorovich" in Sevastopol, June 6, 2016
The most important result of the work in 2016 was the update of the missile attack warning system. The state tests of three radar stations of the "Voronezh" family, built in the cities of Orsk, Barnaul and Yeniseisk, were completed. The stations will be put on alert next year. Three more existing complexes (Baranovichi, Murmansk and Pechora) have been modified using modern technologies. Thanks to these works, for the first time in history, it was possible to create a continuous radar field of the missile attack warning system, completely covering all borders of the country and capable of detecting all possible threats.
Rearmament
One of the main tasks of the Ministry of Defense and many different industrial enterprises is the creation and production of advanced weapons and equipment necessary for the rearmament of the army. In 2016, the rearmament program, which started several years ago, continued to be carried out. The general indicators of rearmament are as follows. The share of modern weapons and equipment in permanent readiness units has been brought to 58.3%, and their serviceability is 94%. At the same time, for obvious reasons, in different types of armed forces and branches of the military, such indicators are slightly different.
In 2016, the strategic nuclear forces of Russia received 41 ballistic missiles, which made it possible to bring the share of modern weapons in this area to 60%. As part of the strategic missile forces, four regiments of the Yars complex, both stationary and mobile, were put on alert, and the navy began operating the Vladimir Monomakh missile submarine. The aviation component of the nuclear triad was replenished with two modernized Tu-160 and two Tu-95MS aircraft.
In the past year, the ground forces received 2,930 units of new or modernized weapons and equipment, thanks to which the share of new models reached 42%. This year's deliveries made it possible to re-equip two missile brigades, two anti-aircraft missile brigades, two anti-aircraft missile regiments, one special-purpose brigade, three artillery battalions, and 12 motorized rifle and tank battalions.
The Aerospace Forces began operating 139 modern aircraft of all classes and types, as well as four regimental sets of S-400 air defense systems. Also, anti-aircraft formations of the Aerospace Forces received 25 Pantsir-S1 missile and cannon systems and 74 radar stations of several types. In total, the share of new equipment in the Aerospace Forces is now 66%, the serviceability of aviation equipment is 62%.
Particular attention in the framework of the current rearmament is paid to unmanned aerial vehicles. This year, 36 new formations have appeared in the armed forces, the task of which is to operate such systems. During the year, the troops received 105 complexes with 260 drones. In total, the army is armed with more than 600 complexes, in which more than 2 thousand devices are operated. The intensity of operation of such equipment has increased by one and a half times in comparison with 2015.
Missile complex "Yars"
The equipment of the Navy with new equipment has been increased to 47%. This was facilitated by the transfer of 24 new surface ships and vessels, as well as two multipurpose submarines. It should be noted that within the framework of the current rearmament in the interests of the fleet, warships, multifunctional boats and various auxiliary vessels of several projects are being built. In addition, several new ships, vessels and submarines were laid down this year, which will have to enter the fleet a few years later.
The share of new weapons and equipment in the airborne troops is also 47%. To obtain such figures, the defense industry built and modernized 188 pieces of equipment. In this context, recent events are of particular interest. On December 24, a solemn ceremony was held in Ryazan to mark the transfer of new equipment to the 137th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 106th Guards Airborne Division. During this event, the troops received the first battalion set (31 units) of the latest model BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles. Soon, the Airborne Forces should receive several more similar parties, but this will only happen next year.
For effective operation, troops need appropriate communication and command systems. This year, the army received 22 thousand modern radio stations, etc. equipment, which is 6% more than last year's supply. This resulted in an increase in the share of new equipment to 49%.
As part of the rearmament of the army, the Ministry of Defense and industry are faced with some problems that lead to the failure of the established deadlines. Due to such difficulties, the troops were unable to obtain 49 units of the main types of weapons and equipment. Nevertheless, the main tasks of the State Defense Order for 2016 were generally resolved. One of the means that simplifies the solution of such problems is the development of new approaches to financing the work.
Combat training activities
In 2016, the Ministry of Defense conducted five surprise comprehensive inspections of the combat readiness of troops. All military districts, branches of the armed forces and branches of the armed forces were involved in these activities. In addition, authorities and some non-military structures were involved in the exercises. Exercise Kavkaz-2016 is of particular importance in the combat readiness verification program. In their course, formations from the four armies were transferred to training ranges 2, 5 thousand kilometers from their permanent bases, where they were effectively solving combat training tasks.
In total, 3630 exercises of various levels were held during the year, including 1250 interspecific ones. All these activities allowed the personnel to work out their skills and test themselves in conditions as close as possible to combat. The command and control bodies of the armed forces, in turn, have confirmed their ability to lead large groups in various conditions. 130 polygons with a load of 89-98% are used daily in training activities.
Arrival of SSBN "Vladimir Monomakh" in Vilyuchinsk, March 23, 2016
The current approach to personnel training has yielded appropriate results. According to the calculations of the Ministry of Defense, the annual flight time of military aviation pilots increased by 21% compared to 2015, the flock of crews of the surface fleet and submarine forces - by 70%. The number of homogeneous tactical ship groups increased by 27%. The Airborne Forces has seen a 5 percent increase in parachute jumps.
The Aerospace Forces and the Navy continue to patrol around the planet. Thus, long-range aviation aircraft made 17 sorties during the year, the purpose of which was to patrol the waters of the North, Norwegian, Black, Japanese and Yellow Seas. Also, the routes of the bombers ran over the west of the Pacific Ocean, the northeastern part of the Atlantic and the Arctic.
Ships and vessels of the Navy completed 121 cruises in the Arctic, Central and North Atlantic, as well as in the Caribbean Sea basin. A regular presence of Russian ships in the Gulf of Aden has been established, which is characterized by an unfavorable situation for navigation. For the fourth year in a row, the Far Sea Operations Command has been defending Russian interests in the Mediterranean. The assigned tasks are performed by a squadron, which includes up to 15 ships and vessels.
Syrian operation
The Russian armed forces, represented primarily by the Aerospace Forces, continued to solve combat and other tasks in Syria during 2016. By the time of the announcement of the report on December 22, the aviation had completed almost 19 thousand sorties, during which 71 thousand strikes were carried out against enemy targets. Tens of thousands of terrorists were eliminated, about 1,500 pieces of equipment and a significant number of various objects were destroyed. Several hundred units of military equipment and tens of thousands of small arms were seized.
The approach used to organize sorties and rotation of flight personnel has led to the fact that at the moment 84% of the pilots of the Aerospace Forces have real combat experience gained during the Syrian operation. As in the past year, both tactical aircraft and helicopters and strategic bombers are involved in combat work.
Fighter Su-30SM in Syria
The Syrian operation continues to be used as a testing ground for the latest weapons and equipment. To date, in the context of the current conflict, 162 new and modernized models of weapons and equipment have been tested. In particular, Mi-28N and Ka-52 attack helicopters, as well as Su-30SM and Su-34 front-line aircraft were tested. During such operation of the equipment, some problems of the existing samples were identified. In order to correct the discovered shortcomings, the Ministry of Defense decided to temporarily suspend the purchase of 10 types of equipment and weapons.
Plans for next year
Next year, the Ministry of Defense will continue to develop the armed forces in one way or another. The main goals and tasks that need to be solved in 2017 have already been identified. First of all, it is necessary to increase the overall combat capability of the army, as well as to strengthen the groupings in the Arctic, Western and South-Western directions. The share of new weapons and equipment in permanent readiness units should reach 60%.
In the case of the ground forces, the planned rearmament is as follows. The units will receive two brigade sets of Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems. Three divisions of military air defense will receive Tor-M2 systems. Also, the troops will have to receive 905 units of various armored vehicles, including tanks.
As part of the ground component of the strategic nuclear forces, three regiments will be transferred to modern missile systems. Strategic aviation will have to receive five modernized long-range bombers of existing types. In order to protect against a possible attack next year, three new Voronezh-type radar stations will take over full combat duty.
The Aerospace Forces will receive 170 aircraft of all classes and types next year. S-400 complexes will be delivered to four anti-aircraft regiments. The fleet will have to receive eight ships and nine combat boats. The coastal troops of the navy will receive four missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion".
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The outgoing year was not the easiest for the Russian armed forces. The continuation of the implementation of the existing instructions, the rearmament and the build-up of combat power are associated with certain difficulties, which, however, are being successfully overcome. Thanks to the planned work of the entire army personnel and the help of other structures, primarily the defense industry, the goals were achieved, although some tasks still remain unresolved. Nevertheless, on the whole, the year was successful, as evidenced by the official figures.
Successful work this year allows us to meet the new 2017 with optimism. Next year, the army will again have to tackle a number of critical issues, but existing trends show the fundamental possibility of achieving success in this matter. It is already clear that the coming year will again not be easy for the armed forces, but the tasks facing them are of particular importance. We wish the army success in the new 2017, because the security of the whole country depends on its service.
