Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of an expanded board of the Ministry of Defense summed up the development of the Russian Armed Forces in the outgoing year and outlined the tasks for 2020. According to the Supreme Commander, the share of modern weapons and military equipment in the army increased to 68%. The greatest success in rearmament was achieved by strategic nuclear forces - 82%.
“The latest strategic-range hypersonic missile system with the Vanguard planning wing unit began to arrive at the Strategic Missile Forces. This weapon of the future is capable of overcoming both current and future missile defense, ”the Russian leader noted.
According to Vladimir Putin, Russia is ahead of other countries in terms of the development of advanced weapons - no one else has hypersonic weapons in the world. The situation in the country's new and recent history is unique, Putin noted.
“No country today has hypersonic weapons at all, and continental-range hypersonic weapons, all the more so,” the Russian president emphasized.
He noted that the "Dagger" and "Relight" complexes were already standing in the troops, and the "Vanguard" equipment began. The plans also include work on Sarmat, Zircon and Petrel missiles, the president added.
The President set the task of constantly maintaining a high level of equipment of the army and navy with modern equipment.
“At the end of 2020, the level of equipping the army and navy with modern weapons and equipment should be at least 70%. Now, for certain types and branches of the Armed Forces, such an indicator has almost been achieved. For others, for example, for the Ground Forces, intensive work remains to be continued, ”Putin said.
As the president emphasized, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation "must always be equipped with the latest technology and technology."
“This is not a game of chess where a draw can suit us sometimes. This is a military organization of the state. Technique should be better. We can achieve this and achieve this in key areas of development. And so you need to work on all components, ”the Russian leader urged.
Putin noted qualitative changes in the areas of communications and command and control, artificial intelligence, robotics, and unmanned aircraft. The head of state said that next year the preparation of the country's defense plan for 2021-2025 will be completed. In the course of this work, changes in the military-political situation in the world, in particular, the situation in the field of arms control, will be taken into account.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
- © Evgeny Biyatov
The President announced the need for monitoring the possible deployment of the United States previously banned intermediate and shorter-range missiles in different regions of the world. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the United States plans to deploy new strike weapons with a range of 500 to 5500 km in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Yes, we are ready to work on new agreements in the field of arms control. However, while this process has not been launched, we will continue to strengthen our own nuclear forces. I mean the rearmament of the Strategic Missile Forces units to the modern Avangard and Yars systems, and the marine nuclear forces to the Borey-A class submarines, ”Putin said.
According to the head of state, the United States actually destroyed the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty).
Washington also “created uncertainty” regarding its continued participation in the Open Skies Treaty. The prospects for extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) remain unclear, Putin said. According to him, in response to the hostile steps of the United States, Russia will strengthen its training.
“During operational and combat training activities, new, more effective ways of using troops, units and subunits should be developed and the positive results immediately implemented in combat training programs,” Putin emphasized.
"Improving combat capabilities"
Speaking to the board, Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu said that in 2019, troops received more than 6.5 thousand units of new and modernized weapons. This allowed to increase the share of modern military equipment to 68.2%. In particular, 624 tanks and armored vehicles, 143 aircraft and helicopters, five strategic missile carriers, and one submarine were delivered to the army.
This year, the deployment of Peresvet laser self-propelled laser systems and the re-equipment of missile brigades at the Iskander operational-tactical complex were completed in parts of the Strategic Missile Forces. Until the end of the week, the first missile regiment armed with the Avangard complex with hypersonic glider wing units will take up combat duty, said Shoigu.
In 2019, the Ministry of Defense organizations built 19 airfields, repaired and erected 3,700 objects for various purposes. In addition, the creation of two military camps in the Arctic (Tiksi, Alexandra Land), a ship repair complex in Syrian Tarus, was completed. The security of the Khmeimim air base also increased - hangars were erected on the territory of the air harbor to accommodate operational tactical aircraft.
“All the tasks defined for 2019 have been completed by the Armed Forces. An increase in combat capabilities of 14% and a predetermined level of maintaining the country's defense capability were ensured. The identified problematic issues and ways to solve them were taken into account in the plan of the Ministry of Defense for 2019-2025, ”said Shoigu.
The Minister of Defense emphasized that Russia, unlike foreign states, does not increase the size of the military budget. At the same time, the military department of the Russian Federation continues the planned re-equipment, construction of new infrastructure facilities, provides the necessary social guarantees to the military personnel.
“Against the backdrop of the growing annual expenditures of the United States and other countries, the military budget of Russia has remained virtually unchanged for several years. If in 2018 we were in seventh place in military spending among the leading states of the world, in the current year - in eighth, and in the next we will be in ninth, ”said Shoigu.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Defense recalled that the US military budget for 2020 is 16 times larger than the Russian one.
- Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
- © Evgeny Biyatov
In 2020, 106 new and upgraded aircraft, four regiment sets of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, six divisions of the Pantsir air defense system, 14 ships of warships and boats, three submarines, 18 ships will be delivered to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation providing.
According to Shoigu, the next year at the enterprises of the defense industry will be completed the modernization of six strategic missile carriers Tu-95MS. In addition, it is planned to complete the construction of bases for strategic submarine missile cruisers of the Northern and Pacific fleets.
The Ministry of Defense devoted a major role in the outgoing year to the combat and operational training of servicemen. In 2019, domestic aircraft conducted more than 18 thousand exercises and trainings of various levels and two sudden inspections. The largest event was the strategic command and staff exercises Center-2019 with the participation of troops of seven foreign states of the CSTO and SCO. Other major maneuvers were the Thunder 2019, which demonstrated the increased capabilities of nuclear forces, as well as the Ocean Shield, in which the fleet and long-range aviation were involved.
The most significant of the joint maneuvers with foreign colleagues, according to Shoigu, were the Russian-Chinese training “Maritime Interaction” and the Russian-Indian “Indra”.
"Not getting involved in an arms race"
According to Shoigu, the Russian Defense Ministry is concerned about the US four-thirty anti-Russian initiative. It involves a thirty-day mobilization of 30 mechanized battalions, 30 air squadrons, 30 warships. In addition, within the framework of this concept, the readiness of aircraft for the use of nuclear weapons should be reduced from 10 days to 24 hours.
As of December 1, 2019, the alliance’s land component was 100% complete, 76% over the air, and 93% over the sea. The full implementation of the “four by thirty” initiative is possible by 2022, stated Shoigu.
“Every year, the NATO bloc in Europe holds up to 40 major exercises that have a clear anti-Russian focus. Compared to last year, near the Russian borders, the intensity of aerial reconnaissance increased by 33%, and by 24% - marine, ”said the Minister of Defense.
Shoigu also drew attention to the deployment in the Baltic States of American air defense radar to detect air targets. They allow you to control Russian airspace to a depth of 450 km. Nevertheless, as the head of the military department said, the Russian army has enough resources to ensure the national security of the Russian Federation.
“Without getting involved in the arms race, but taking into account the threats, the Ministry of Defense and the defense industry continued to fulfill the plans approved by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to re-equip the Armed Forces and improve their quality condition,” the Minister of Defense concluded.
“Suppress provocations and threats”
According to experts interviewed by RT, in the past year, the Russian Armed Forces achieved significant positive results. This is evidenced by the successful implementation of the State Defense Order, the development of the latest weapons and the planned volume of deliveries of modern military products to the army.
In an interview with RT, the commercial director of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Alexei Leonkov drew attention to the progressive modernization of the military equipment in service with the Russian army. The troops are equipped with updated T-72B3 tanks, 2C7M Malka heavy-duty self-propelled howitzers, Tor-M2 DT Arctic air defense systems, S-400, S-300V4, S-350 Vityaz air defense systems. An important role in strengthening the country's defense capability, according to Leonkov, is played by the Sunflower and Container radar, which this year replenished parts of the radio-technical forces.
“In Russia, a layered air defense system has been created. Modern anti-aircraft systems and radar systems provide effective control of the military activity of NATO member countries, including in the Arctic. In the current geopolitical situation, this allows our army to suppress various challenges, provocations and threats, ”Leonkov emphasized.
According to the expert, the key result of the development of the air component of strategic nuclear forces was the completion of R&D on the Tu-160M2 strategic bomber. The aircraft received wider combat capabilities thanks to modern digital equipment and new weapons.
“It would be wrong to ignore the teachings, including international ones with the SCO countries and the states with which the Russian Federation has developed partnerships. The high intensity of training and command and staff events has a positive effect on the combat readiness of our troops, ”Leonkov added.
- Russian soldier in exercises
- RIA News
- © Vitaliy Timkiv
Military expert Yuri Knutov called the most important outcome of the development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2019 the appearance of hypersonic weapons, complexes based on new physical principles and a variety of robotic platforms.
“It seems to me that in the absence of a growth in the military budget, the Ministry of Defense very competently maintains a balance in procurement policy and investments. The military department strengthens the army with the latest weapons and at the same time invests in the modernization of models, the operation of which is expedient in the medium term, ”Knutov explained.
According to the analyst, the military construction of Russia is exclusively defensive in nature and is aimed at ensuring national security, taking into account the growing military-political risks. The key challenge, according to Knutov, is the destruction of the old architecture of control over the nuclear missile arsenal.
“At the moment, Russia is developing the Armed Forces at a level that allows holding back the NATO bloc and the United States. Moscow is not going to get involved in the arms race that our “respected partners” offer us, but is ready to respond to such challenges as the expanding military infrastructure of the alliance and the deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles by the Americans, ”Knutov emphasized.