The Strategic Missile Forces is the main component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. The task of this type of troops is to nuclear deterrence of possible aggression by guaranteed destruction of the enemy's strategic targets, which form the basis of the enemy's military and economic potential with nuclear missile strikes.
Having overcome the difficulties of their development, the strategic missile forces have become the most important component of the combat power of the Russian armed forces, a reliable support of the state. The Strategic Missile Forces is Russia's reliable shield, one of the guarantors of its military security and state sovereignty. Since its inception, this branch of the military has been in the center of attention of military-technical science, and its units continue to be equipped with the most advanced developments in the field of missile technology.
Now in service with the Strategic Missile Forces there are 6 types of missile systems of the 4th and 5th generations (3 silo-based and mobile ground-based complexes each). The Strategic Missile Forces accumulates about 2/3 of the nuclear carriers of the strategic nuclear forces of Russia, thanks to which the troops are capable of destroying any objects on the enemy's territory in a matter of minutes.
Organizational structure of troops
In addition to the command, the Strategic Missile Forces include:
• 3 missile armies;
• landfill "Kapustin Yar" (Astrakhan region);
• several arsenals and repair plants.
The training of personnel is carried out by the following institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and units of the Strategic Missile Forces:
• Military Academy. Peter the Great in Moscow (branches in Serpukhov and Rostov-on-Don);
• training centers in Pereslavl-Zalessky (Yaroslavl region), Ostrov (Pskov region);
• School of technicians at the Kapustin Yar training ground.
The troops raised six twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, one hundred and one Hero of the Soviet Union, two full holders of the Order of Glory, six Heroes of the Russian Federation. 38 rocket specialists were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, 66 received the Lenin Prize, 324 became laureates of the State Prize of the Soviet Union, 20 received the State Prize of the Russian Federation, more than a hundred people were awarded the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Komsomol.
The future of the Strategic Missile Forces
The development of the Strategic Missile Forces continues at the present time. On the eve of the professional holiday, it became known that the program of rearmament of the Strategic Missile Forces on the Topol-M missile system would be completed by the end of this year, after which the Strategic Missile Forces strike group would include 96 launchers of the newest Topol-M and Yars complexes , - ITAR-TASS reported this the other day, referring to the statement of the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev, in which he also assured journalists that it is planned to conduct 11 training launches of intercontinental missiles next year. The general said that the share of new equipment in service in the troops entrusted to him will constantly increase, and by 2021 it will reach 98%. In addition, Karakaev said that Russian specialists are currently working on the creation of a new solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile, which in the future should replace the fifth-generation missile systems in service.
Strategic Missile Forces and the START Treaty
In accordance with the provisions of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START), Russia and the United States provided each other with information on strategic offensive arms, including information on the geographic coordinates of the location of silo launchers for ICBMs. The commander of the Strategic Missile Forces assured that this information is confidential and is not disclosed by the parties to the contract.
The exchange of data on the locations of strategic offensive arms has been carried out by Russia and the United States since the introduction of the idea of mutual checks within the framework of bilateral agreements. According to the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, the agreement does not limit the possibilities of modernizing existing weapons and creating new types of weapons, and the latest developments for the needs of the Strategic Missile Forces are carried out taking into account all the requirements of the bilateral treaty.
The new START Treaty of February 5, 2011 obliges both sides to limit the number of all types of strategic offensive weapons. The agreement provides for the possibility from April 6, 2011 to conduct mutual inspections of facilities. As part of the fulfillment of commitments to reduce offensive arms, Russia and the United States exchange information on the current amount of weapons on a regular basis.
