The conflict between Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and veteran paratroopers, which erupted after the Defense Minister in September 2010 allegedly swore at the head of the Ryazan Airborne Force School, Colonel Andrei Krasov, continues to gain momentum. Last week, there were reports in the media that President Dmitry Medvedev had become interested in the conflict and that he was "very concerned about the emerging situation." And the Union of Russian paratroopers filed an application with the Moscow mayor's office to hold an "anti-Serdyukov" rally of 10 thousand people on Poklonnaya Hill. But, according to experts, the minister's rudeness is only the visible part of the conflict around the Airborne Forces. The struggle is going on no less for the preservation of the Airborne Forces as such. Who will emerge victorious from it and will the legendary “winged infantry” remain in the Russian Armed Forces?
The current attempt to reform the Airborne Forces is not the first. These troops have been trying unsuccessfully to reform for about 10 years. The closest to success was General Anatoly Kvashnin (then Chief of the General Staff), who in 2001 tried to incorporate the Airborne Forces into the Ground Forces. It was even announced that two airborne divisions were already subordinate to the command of the military districts in whose territory they were deployed. Then the commander of the Airborne Forces, General Georgy Shpak, went to an extreme step - he turned directly to the president, and the reform was curtailed.
So, for example, during the hostilities in Afghanistan, mass airborne assault was used only once, and even then, instead of paratroopers, sandbags were dropped from planes on parachutes. The spooks opened heavy fire on the "landing", the artillerymen spotted and destroyed their firing points …
It should be noted that in almost all developed armies, troops similar to our Airborne Troops are usually part of the Ground Forces, less often in the Air Force, and only in some former seceded republics of the Soviet Union are they an independent branch of the armed forces.
In Russia, the Airborne Forces, among other things, also have the status of a mobile reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Federation, in addition, for years, an aura of the most trained and efficient troops was created around the Airborne Forces, which they, however, were. The "elite" nature of the Airborne Forces was also supported financially: the paratroopers always had advanced weapons and equipment, officers were paid a higher salary, and the best recruits were sent to serve in the Airborne Forces.
To all appearances, civil defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov is only partly concerned about the elite status of the Airborne Forces. No matter how combat-ready the airborne forces are, it is obvious that their maintenance requires much higher costs than the same motorized rifle units. At the same time, the effect of such over-costs is doubtful. According to many military analysts, with the modern development of air defense systems, it becomes almost impossible to carry out a mass landing of paratroopers, which is confirmed by the experience of recent military conflicts. So, for example, during the hostilities in Afghanistan, mass airborne assault was used only once, and even then, instead of paratroopers, sandbags were dropped from planes on parachutes. The spooks opened heavy fire on the "landing", the artillerymen spotted and destroyed their firing points. As the participants in this operation recall, later on the ground it was not possible to find a single whole bag. What can we say about the use of airborne forces against an enemy with modern air defense systems and aviation. Aircraft with a landing force simply will not reach the landing site.
That is, parts of the Airborne Forces have actually turned into ordinary infantry for a long time. Albeit well prepared. But at the same time, to provide them, it is necessary to maintain additional parts of transport aviation, develop and purchase special weapons and equipment.
Therefore, at the very beginning of the military reform in 2008, these elite troops were not going to spare. Moreover, it was reported that as part of the reform of the Airborne Forces, a directive was signed, according to which, by December 1, 2009, every fourth to fifth officer from the combat units and formations, as well as units of combat and logistical support of the Airborne Forces, was to be reduced. By the same date, the 106th Airborne Division was to be disbanded - its regiments were planned to be reassigned to other formations, and the rear units were to be completely reduced.
It would seem that reform can no longer be avoided, but the war with Georgia made adjustments to the reform of the Airborne Forces, which, according to many analysts, against the background of other incompetent units, were the only ones ready to conduct hostilities.
At the same time, General Vladimir Shamanov, the current commander of the Airborne Forces, was gaining strength. Then, being the head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training and Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, he unexpectedly led the Russian military group in Abkhazia, where he led the operation of Russian paratroopers, although the position of the chief of combat training does not imply participation in hostilities. Judging by the fact that the general was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree, the troops under his leadership acted very successfully.
In the wake of the increased authority, Vladimir Shamanov in May 2009 headed the Airborne Forces. Using his influence, he managed to keep the airborne divisions virtually intact, and this against the background of the fact that all divisions in the Ground Forces were transformed into brigades. Moreover, on the day of the appointment of the new commander, Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, General of the Army Nikolai Makarov, said that the Airborne Forces would receive further development, the troops would be retained. It was even planned that an airborne assault brigade would be deployed as part of the Moscow military district, and a 3rd airborne regiment would be created for the Leningrad military district on the basis of the 76th airborne division.
However, in the fall of 2009, the commander of the Airborne Forces found himself in the center of a criminal scandal. A telephone conversation was made public, during which General Shamanov ordered his subordinate to send two groups of special forces of the Airborne Forces of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment to detain an investigator who was conducting investigative measures at the Sporttek plant as part of an investigated criminal case on the assassination of the chairman of the board of directors of the agricultural holding " Shchelkovsky ". Then the commander of the Airborne Forces of the RF Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov, was warned of incomplete official compliance for an attempt to use his official position for personal purposes.
The weakening of the position of the commander of the Airborne Forces, according to experts, was the impetus for a return to the reform of the Airborne Forces. The paratroopers received a kind of "black mark" in August 2010. The 80th anniversary of the Airborne Forces was simply ignored by the country's leadership and the Ministry of Defense.
According to the head of the Center for Military Forecasting of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, Anatoly Tsyganka, a radical reform of the Airborne Forces cannot be avoided, even despite the veterans' protests. At one time, General Shamanov stepped on a sore spot on the Minister of Defense when he defended the Airborne Forces, taking advantage of the location of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. According to the expert, this time everything will go smoothly. Although, according to our interlocutor, this reform will greatly weaken the army.
However, the reform has already begun. A source in the General Staff told Nasha Versiya that immediately after the incident in Ryazan, a large group of auditors was sent to the Airborne Forces headquarters to conduct a financial audit. Moreover, its purpose was not so much to identify any violations, but to prepare a financial base for redeploying the General Staff of the Airborne Forces to Ryazan from Moscow. At the same time, the number of headquarters will be only 57 people.
Pavel Popovskikh, chairman of the central council of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, also believes that the process of reforming the Airborne Forces has already been launched. For example, the Ryazan Airborne School is no longer subordinate to the command of the Airborne Forces, it has become an airborne faculty as part of the Military Training Center of the Ground Forces (Combined Arms Academy). Also, the command of the Airborne Forces has been removed from pre-conscription training of youth and from being drafted into the Airborne Forces - this is now the function of the organizational and mobilization directorates of the military districts. According to the Popovskikhs, a directive has been prepared according to which in the near future the command of the Airborne Forces becomes a subdivision of the High Command of the Ground Forces, and the formations and units of the Airborne Forces are actually withdrawn from the reserve and directly subordinate to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces and are transferred to operational subordination to the command of the strategic directions "North "," West "," South "," East ". For specialists, this means one thing - the most authoritative troops in Russia will soon cease to exist. It is also quite obvious that no actions of veterans' protests and scandals with the "swearing of the Minister of Defense" will be able to prevent this.
However, although the Airborne Forces will most likely be eliminated, the Russian army will not remain without the "blue berets". As we have already said, units of the Airborne Forces can be reassigned to the command of military districts. By the way, the Soviet army had a similar experience: paratroopers could be found not only directly in the Airborne Forces, but also in the Ground Forces. In the late 60s - early 70s, airborne assault brigades were formed in the military districts. These were quite powerful formations: in addition to the landing units themselves, they included two helicopter regiments, artillery and air defense units. But unlike the Airborne Forces, where military transport aircraft were the main means of landing, the airborne assault brigades had to operate from helicopters. It is interesting that the prototype of the Soviet assault units was the airmobile units of the American army, which then operated very successfully in Vietnam. In addition to the district airborne assault brigades, their own paratroopers soon appeared in the "staff" of the combined-arms armies - each army had its own separate airborne assault battalion (ODSHB). Incidentally, the land paratroopers wore the same uniforms and insignia as their counterparts in the Airborne Forces. And the Day of the Airborne Forces on August 2, the veterans of these units also consider their professional holiday. In the 1990s, the brigades were disbanded, and their remnants were transferred to the Airborne Forces, but now the process can go in the opposite direction.
The fact that the paratroopers will still remain in the army is confirmed by their constant participation in all recent major exercises. Just last week, during the operational-tactical exercises of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO "Interaction-2010" in the Chelyabinsk region, a large-scale landing was made at the Chebarkul training ground. More than
350 parachutists and 9 pieces of equipment. In October 2010, the exercises of the Airborne Forces were held in the Pskov region. The equipment and personnel of the 51st Airborne Regiment, stationed in Tula, were transferred to the region. True, a mass air landing did not work: a strong wind intervened in the command's plans, and for security reasons the military decided to limit themselves only to airborne equipment.
And the fact that the landing is likely to be under the jurisdiction of the Ground Forces is indicated by a very indicative situation with the purchase of equipment for the Airborne Forces. In 2010, representatives of the Ministry of Defense announced that they were refusing to purchase BMD-4 vehicles and the Sprut self-propelled anti-tank gun. Moreover, there was no question of any alternative to this technique. It is clear that without airborne combat vehicles and self-propelled artillery, the Airborne Forces will no longer be able to perform such large-scale tasks that they faced before. However, as we have already said, experts are already questioning the possibility of their implementation.
reference
In the US armed forces, as such, there is no separate airborne type of troops. All airborne forces are part of the 18th Airborne Corps of the Ground Forces. The location of the corps headquarters is Fort Bragg (North Carolina). The number of the corps is about 90 thousand people.
The main striking force of the corps is the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Air Assault Division. The number of the 101st division is over 17 thousand people. Its main armament is about 150 field artillery and mortars, 290 helicopters, 400 anti-tank missile systems.
In addition to them, the corps includes a mechanized and light infantry division, a light armored cavalry regiment, a field artillery brigade, a reconnaissance and electronic warfare brigade, a communications brigade, two army aviation brigades, engineering, logistics, training and medical units.
To transfer only one reinforced landing battalion, 24 Hercules military transport aircraft are needed. According to American standards, the release of personnel and equipment from aircraft does not exceed 10 minutes. Assembling a battalion at the landing site and bringing it to combat readiness takes 30-40 minutes.
To maintain high combat readiness, an interesting warning system operates in the corps: all servicemen of the corps, even on vacation, must have a special warning receiver with them. Thanks to such an alarm communication system, it takes no more than two hours to gather personnel in a unit.
