The confrontation between the former officials of the tax department, comfortably entrenched in the Ministry of Defense and the defense industry, has reached a boiling point. Until now, no agreements have been concluded for 15% of the state defense order for this year. The President demands, the Prime Minister is satisfied, and Serdyukov once again promises: "Everything will be okay." What actually happens in the ordering departments of the military department? Does the disruption of the state defense order threaten with a social explosion? What are our manufacturers indignant with? "AN" asked the chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Defense Industry Workers Andrei CHEKMENEV.
Defense industry slogan: "Serdyukov - go away!"
Andrei Ivanovich, the AN newspaper published an open letter in No. 28 of July 21 this year, in which you and FNPR leader Mikhail Shmakov accused Defense Minister A. Serdyukov of actually disrupting the state defense order for the current year. Is there a reaction to your words addressed to the country's top officials?
- Apart from Serdyukov's words that everything will be fine, there was no reaction. Then we sent our appeal to the enterprises of the military-industrial complex with a request to analyze it and, if agreed, put our signature. For a week - several thousand signers in support. By September, by the date given to Serdyukov by Prime Minister V. Putin, we expect to collect hundreds of thousands. And then we will present them to the president, the prime minister, and the defense minister himself, with the requirement to make personnel decisions in relation to Serdyukov. Let the country's leadership decide: who is more valuable - the domestic defense industry or the current Minister of War, who, by his actions, destroys the defense capability of the state.
Tough. The state defense order is disrupted every year. Why did the first persons of the country pay attention to it just now?
- Apparently, the situation is really critical. Defense directors realized that the question of the banal survival of their enterprises is more urgent than ever. And the problem is demanded by the society.
Despite the fact that no constructive decisions are made, the aggravation of the problem may occur in the fall. It will become clear that the defense order will again fail to be fulfilled in many areas due to the late conclusion of agreements due to the fault of the Ministry of Defense. Problems will emerge in the spring, if the mess in the ordering departments of the Ministry of Defense continues and it becomes clear that in March-April 2012 they will not have time to hold tenders again.
This is a powder keg that smolders, and when it explodes, it will not seem enough to anyone. Now the authorities are trying to smooth the situation so that it does not explode during the elections.
Who leads Putin by the nose
What is happening now in the ordering departments of the Ministry of Defense? Did the professionals stay there or did the girls from the tax office come?
“Nobody knows that. Black box. We are just stating the chronic rotation of personnel who deal with this issue. Today the customer's representative is in one place, tomorrow he has already been transferred or fired. It is not clear who today predicts the types of weapons and military equipment (AME) for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. No one can competently formulate a technical assignment for a design bureau, production, the military-industrial complex as a whole. And no one wants to take responsibility for this or that decision. New structures are created and then liquidated, new schemes of work with the defense industry complex.
There used to be the monsters of the defense order. The same Anatoly Sitnov, who knew everything thoroughly: how much and what kind of equipment the Armed Forces will need in advance for several years. Now there is simply no one to talk about this in the Ministry of Defense. Moreover, there is a tendency to completely remove the purchase of weapons from the subordination of the Ministry of Defense and give it to a civilian department.
And how will it determine the needs of the army?
- And this is not clear to anyone. Apparently, because of the availability of money. That is, financial resources are at the forefront, and not the real needs of the army. Whether the opinion of experts will be taken into account is a very big question. A flawed scheme. The Ministry of Defense believes that the defense industry is separate, and the army is separate. The logic of traders, not professionals.
They destroyed the old, albeit not perfect, but working system and for four years now they have not been able to assemble a new one. Each year, new rules of the game, and each year promises to bring systems up and running.
Now is August 2011, and the main defense enterprises do not know what they will do next year?
- There is more or less clarity only on the armaments program until 2020. Moreover, for long-term: 2-3-year contracts. For example, for the production of Iskander, carriers and delivery units for strategic nuclear forces in the interests of aviation and the Navy. Regarding conventional weapons, there is complete uncertainty. For ammunition, it was announced that there will be no purchases at all for two years.
But there is a state defense order program in which all positions are clearly fixed
- On December 21, 2010, Prime Minister Putin signs a decree "On the State Defense Order-2011". The secret annex to it contains a complete list of the nomenclature of those products that must be ordered. Up to the price. Prior to that, consultations were held with the military-industrial commission, with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the Ministry of Defense, and each director knew whether or not he was included in this list, and, therefore, retained the staff of workers, carried out certain activities under this order.
In early January 2011, the Minister of Defense convenes a meeting and demands to reduce the defense order. The government decree was, to put it mildly, adjusted downward. Moreover, none of the production workers were told about this, they learned everything by hearsay.
The reduction was openly acknowledged only on May 31 at a meeting with Putin. And nothing! - everything gets away with Anatoly Eduardovich! He comes out all in white and says that he is "fighting." Only it is not clear with whom - he has already defeated everyone. And the hostages are workers. For example, the Novovyatsk plant, which makes guided aerial bombs and manufactures other products of GNPP "Basalt". He has no orders. And it won't. And the company kept the staff, paid utilities, workers' salaries. It worked at a loss.
And who is this omnipotent and godlike Serdyukov, who can shorten the government decree signed by Putin himself?
- Just the Minister of Defense (smiles). He is close to the authorities and explains to him personally that this is not necessary, it can be reduced. And each time it is justified: “Everything will be fine. But next year. Now he is convincing that in 2012 everything will work out, and in December of this year, the tenders for the purchase of weapons and military equipment will be completed. In January, everyone will receive an advance payment. Let's hope.
But why couldn't it have been done earlier, for example, last year or the year before last? After all, the disrupted defense order-2010 is almost entirely the fault of the Ministry of Defense. This year, for a number of positions, it is also already impracticable. But the Ministry of Defense imposes penalties for non-compliance with manufacturers regularly and with pleasure.
Because of them, the delivery of products one week later - a complete loss of profitability, over a week - the enterprise operates at a loss.
An order was given: "All prices should be reduced!"
What is the essence of the discrepancies in the determination of the price of products by the Ministry of Defense and military-industrial complex enterprises? Why does it suddenly sound like an order from Arbat Square: reduce the purchase price by 25 percent?
- In September 2009, in accordance with the instructions of the Chief of Armaments of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Deputy Defense Minister V. Popovkin, the heads of acceptance on the ground were proposed, taking into account the requirements of the Minister of Defense, to reduce the price indicators of the cost of work (supplies) in GOZ-2010 by 15 percent in relation to similar according to GOZ-2009. The Ministry of Defense said that it was canceled. However, judging by their actions, this directive continues to work.
The Ministry of Defense reproaches the military-industrial complex for refusing to modernize much-needed military equipment, and instead is trying to impose new developments on the military department at crazy prices …
- Not true. Most of the enterprises in recent years have survived precisely due to the deep modernization and repair of equipment. There were serious export orders. For example, the modernization of tanks in the Middle East bush. There is a whole program of serious modernization of the T-72, T-80 and earlier tanks. Now this segment of the market actively includes Israeli, Czech, and French factories. And Russia has lost millions of dollars because of the Libya boycott. Now the same situation can develop in Syria. This means that there will be more financial losses. These are tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars.
And this is against the background of the actions of the "native" Ministry of Defense. For example, as soon as the leadership of the Ministry of Defense announced that they would not buy the T-90, the Indians immediately announced that they would revise the price for new purchases of these tanks downward by 10-15 percent. Such is the price of General Postnikov's statements.
There is information that the Ministry of Defense is thinking of modernizing the equipment itself. And it plans to supply it for export on its own
- They don't talk about this officially, but at their repair plants, according to unconfirmed reports, the Ministry of Defense is beginning to modernize armored vehicles itself. And for domestic use and possibly for export.
It comes out cheaper. Spare parts are purchased under direct contracts. But no one knows where, from whom, what quality. Most likely in China. And the manufacturer is responsible for the entire period of operation. And if something happens - they dump everything on the plant, the Ministry of Defense will remain on the sidelines. There were few scandals with repairs on the knee from counterfeit parts ?!
We'll throw in caps instead of shells
It has already been officially announced that there will be no contracts for the supply of an ammunition group and special chemicals until 2014. Will it be possible to restore production after a downtime?
- Ammunition was always ordered in abundance. Because during hostilities, production will inevitably lag behind the needs of the army. Now, apparently, it is believed that the Ministry of Defense will not conduct hostilities. And during the exercises they will manage with arsenal supplies. But there are about 90 percent of the ammunition with an expired, albeit extended, shelf life. They cannot be fired - at best they will not fly or explode at the point of impact. For example, during the events in South Ossetia, the aviation could not inflict a guaranteed defeat of objects due to the fact that old aerial bombs from warehouses were used. Only new ones began to work.
The shutdown of ammunition factories for two or three years will lead to the fact that they will simply be closed, personnel will leave and it will be impossible to restore production. And after three years the Ministry of Defense will say: “Can't you do it? Then we will buy it abroad. And it will indeed buy abroad, having previously destroyed its production.
Is there a program for the disposal of ammunition from the arsenals of the Ministry of Defense, which is constantly burning and exploding?
- No, they are stupidly blown up at landfills. In Russia, there are unique technologies that make it possible to safely disassemble ammunition right on the spot, since it is dangerous to transport them. Moreover, many of the components could be reused. Many factories are ready to move their lines to large arsenals and start working. But there are no real movements either from the military department or from other structures. It exploded, the clearing was cleared of debris and we continue to live, one headache for the Ministry of Defense has become less.
