On October 18, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing the Military Construction Company, a public law company. The purpose of PPK "VSK" will be the implementation of various construction in the interests of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This organization will take over the duties of the Military Construction Complex of the Ministry of Defense, which previously replaced the disbanded Spetsstroy. In the near future, the Ministry of Defense must resolve a number of organizational and other issues, after which the "VSK" will begin its activities and will contribute to the defense capability.
History of the issue
Until recently, military construction was under the jurisdiction of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy). Since 2010, a large-scale reform of Spetsstroy has been carried out, associated with the modernization of the armed forces. However, these measures did not lead to the desired results, and military development faced various difficulties and problems.
At the end of 2016, a presidential decree was signed on the dissolution of Spetsstroy. Structures from its composition were transferred to the Ministry of Defense, retaining all their functions. On the basis of these organizations, the current Military Construction Complex of the Russian Ministry of Defense was formed. At the end of September 2017, Spetsstroy ceased to exist as a legal entity.
In March 2019, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense announced plans for a new change in the military development system. On the basis of VSK MO, it was proposed to create a non-profit public law company with similar functions. At that time, the military department and the country's leadership were drawing up a plan for future transformations.
Finally, on October 18, the President signed a decree on the formation of the Military Construction Company PPK. In accordance with this document, over the next three months, the Ministry of Defense must register a new legal entity, transfer the necessary infrastructure to it and perform a number of other tasks. As a result of this work, a new organization will appear under the Ministry of Defense, capable of taking on the duties of the previously existing ones.
Status and structure
"MIC" is created in the form of a public company. As far as we know, this is only the third organization of this kind created in our country since 2016. This form was chosen for a number of reasons related to the nature of future activities and the specifics of work.
In March, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that the result of the creation of the MIC "VPK" would be a transition to a single non-profit structure of military construction with the status of a single contractor. Due to this, the construction of military facilities is removed from the commercial sector, as well as the observance of state interests and the security of the military construction complex are ensured.
Some features of the structure of the new organization have become known. In an interview with RBC, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov indicated which structures will be included in its structure. VSK will have at least 11 different organizations. These will be the 20th and 31st design institutes of the Ministry of Defense, the Main Directorate for the Arrangement of Troops, as well as five construction enterprises (one in each military district and in the Northern Fleet) and three specialized organizations for the construction of airfields, hydraulic structures and nuclear facilities.
The creation of PPK "VSK" is accompanied by the optimization of structures and the number of personnel. According to T. Ivanov, in the course of preparation for the formation of the company, the managing staff was reduced by 30%. It is also planned to get rid of unnecessary contractors. The company will be able to carry out about 60% of the work on its own.
Targets and goals
As the name suggests, the main goal of the "Military Construction Company" will be military construction in all its manifestations. The company will become the general contractor for the construction of military and special facilities - with the exception of projects in the interests of individual departments. Thanks to the presence of military construction units, the company will also become the main contractor of the work. At the same time, she will still have to attract third-party contractors.
All tasks previously performed by the Spetsstroy and the Military Construction Complex of the Ministry of Defense are assigned to the VSK PPK. Organizations from its composition will carry out all the work, from the planning of territories and design to the installation of equipment and the creation of social infrastructure around the facilities. To optimize construction costs, it is proposed to create and implement standard designs of various objects and structures.
Various aspects of the activities and principles of work of "VSK" will be determined in the near future. Now the formation of the necessary documents is being completed, in accordance with which it will work. The new legal entity should appear by mid-January 2020, and then it will begin its activities.
Big projects
In recent years, the Ministry of Defense has continued the construction of various military facilities throughout the country, and this process will not stop in the future. So, in the State Armaments Program for 2018-2027. expenses in the amount of 1 trillion rubles are allocated for construction projects. The use of this money and the implementation of approved plans will result in the emergence of new military facilities and the modernization of old ones - throughout the country and in the interests of all branches of the armed forces.
The future tasks and work of the VSK PPK can be considered on the example of the current activities of the Military Construction Complex. A few days ago, the Ministry of Defense held a Single Day of Military Acceptance, during which they announced the results of military construction this year. The main projects of this kind now include the modernization of airfields and naval bases, as well as the renewal of the infrastructure of the Strategic Missile Forces and the creation of new facilities in the Arctic. Work is underway on 5,000 buildings and structures. Since the beginning of the year, 501 buildings have been built in the interests of the nuclear forces alone.
Completion of the construction of arsenals for storing ammunition and weapons is scheduled for next year. The deployment of new units and weapons is also planned in several areas. For example, in 2020 the coastal complexes "Bal" will begin service on the Kuril Islands. In 2021, the renovation and restructuring of the infrastructure for the Strategic Missile Forces should be completed. The Defense Ministry also proposes to join the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome.
All these works, for which the Military Construction Complex is now in charge, will soon be transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly formed Military Construction Company. The goals and objectives of military development will remain the same, but now organizational, economic and legal optimization of such processes is being carried out.
Criticism
Critical assessments of the new step of the Ministry of Defense have already appeared in the domestic media. It is argued that the emergence of a new "VSK" may negatively affect the cost, quality and efficiency of work.
The main reason for criticism is the monopolization of the industry. In the construction of infrastructure and social facilities, this can lead to the well-known problems associated with the lack of competition. Monopolization of construction can lead to an increase in cost, a change in timing or a decrease in quality. The mechanism of interaction between PPK "VSK" and subcontractors has not yet been determined. How these issues will be resolved, and where this will lead, will become clear later.
Complaints are expressed about the idea of a typical construction. This approach makes it possible to speed up and reduce the cost of mass construction of similar facilities. However, it makes it difficult to modernize the project and introduce new solutions. Whether "VSK" will be able to solve this problem is another important question.
New attempt
The construction of military facilities and social infrastructure for personnel is a critical task, the solution of which supports the country's defense capability. In recent decades, there have been well-known problems in this area that hindered the full development of the armed forces and the achievement of the desired combat capability.
Over the past few years, the state has had to rebuild the military development system twice. The first such restructuring led to the liquidation of a separate federal agency with the transfer of its functions and structures to the Ministry of Defense. Now the withdrawal of military construction organizations and units into the structure of the newly created public law company is under way. Great hopes are pinned on the new "Military Construction Company", and it must justify them.
