Russia announces rearmament plans
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Mart 18, 2009 00:00
MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev, who is seeking to improve chilly ties with the United States, said yesterday Russia would rearm its military and boost its nuclear forces because U.S.-led NATO is expanding towards its borders.
The Russian government sees plans by the previous U.S. administration to grant NATO membership to ex-Soviet states of Ukraine and Georgia, and to deploy elements of a U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe, as a direct threat to its national security.Â
"Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing," Medvedev told an annual meeting with the Defense Ministry's staff.
And while appreciating U.S. President Barack Obama's desire to give ties a fresh start Medvedev, who will meet Obama in London on April 1, has said he expects Washington to match declarations with deeds. Medvedev told Russia's top military brass that the prospect of NATO's expansion, combined with a threat of local crises and terrorism, "requires a modernization of our armed forces, giving them a new modern shape."
Medvedev said the large-scale modernization of the army and navy would begin in 2011. "The primary task is to increase the combat readiness of our forces. First of all, our strategic nuclear forces. They must be able to fulfill all the necessary tasks to ensure Russia's security," he said.
Financial woes
On Monday, Moscow announced budget cuts due to the economic crisis but Medvedev said Russia had the resources to modernize its military, despite the economic crisis.
"A modern military well-trained and well-equipped with modern weapons...is a guarantee of our protection from any potential threat or attempts to put pressure on our nation," the Russian leader said.
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told Medvedev that by 2020, 70 percent of the weaponry in the armed forces' arsenals would be the most modern in their category, up from 10 percent currently, Russian news agencies reported.
Facing scathing criticism by the opposition and staunch resistance from many generals, the Kremlin launched this year an ambitious reform, seen by analysts as the most radical change in the armed forces since the end of World War Two in 1945.
The reform aims to turn the largely demoralized armed forces into less numerous but mobile and better-equipped ones.
Military experts said the reform was prompted by Russia's five-day war with Georgia last August. Russian troops quickly advanced and seized large chunks of Georgian land after Tbilisi tried to retake its rebel South Ossetia province by force.
But the war also exposed a lack of modern weapons, such as hi-precision ammunition, modern communications systems and spy drones. Russia's armed forces are set to shrink to 1 million servicemen by 2012 from today's 1.13 million. The number of officers will be more than halved to 150,000 from 355,00.
"Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing," Medvedev told an annual meeting with the Defense Ministry's staff.
And while appreciating U.S. President Barack Obama's desire to give ties a fresh start Medvedev, who will meet Obama in London on April 1, has said he expects Washington to match declarations with deeds. Medvedev told Russia's top military brass that the prospect of NATO's expansion, combined with a threat of local crises and terrorism, "requires a modernization of our armed forces, giving them a new modern shape."
Medvedev said the large-scale modernization of the army and navy would begin in 2011. "The primary task is to increase the combat readiness of our forces. First of all, our strategic nuclear forces. They must be able to fulfill all the necessary tasks to ensure Russia's security," he said.
Financial woes
On Monday, Moscow announced budget cuts due to the economic crisis but Medvedev said Russia had the resources to modernize its military, despite the economic crisis.
"A modern military well-trained and well-equipped with modern weapons...is a guarantee of our protection from any potential threat or attempts to put pressure on our nation," the Russian leader said.
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told Medvedev that by 2020, 70 percent of the weaponry in the armed forces' arsenals would be the most modern in their category, up from 10 percent currently, Russian news agencies reported.
Facing scathing criticism by the opposition and staunch resistance from many generals, the Kremlin launched this year an ambitious reform, seen by analysts as the most radical change in the armed forces since the end of World War Two in 1945.
The reform aims to turn the largely demoralized armed forces into less numerous but mobile and better-equipped ones.
Military experts said the reform was prompted by Russia's five-day war with Georgia last August. Russian troops quickly advanced and seized large chunks of Georgian land after Tbilisi tried to retake its rebel South Ossetia province by force.
But the war also exposed a lack of modern weapons, such as hi-precision ammunition, modern communications systems and spy drones. Russia's armed forces are set to shrink to 1 million servicemen by 2012 from today's 1.13 million. The number of officers will be more than halved to 150,000 from 355,00.