In uniform

Waiting for Beria

July 11, 2011 Alexander Golts

A new scandal between the military department and military industry is gaining strength. Ten days ago, at a meeting of the Minister of Defense, Anatoly Serdyukov and journalists, data were given on unprecedented growth of military production. So, the release of intercontinental ballistic missiles was supposed to grow by 2015 (compared with 2010) three and a half times. Just a few days later, the creator of Topolya-M and Yars, Yuri Solomonov, shed a cold shower on the heads of the military leadership. In an interview with Kommersant, he stated that due to the “incomprehensible policy” of the Ministry of Defense of the State Boron-Cacked 2011, the military department has not yet concluded any contracts with its institute. President Medvedev considered it necessary to react to the situation, wishing to demonstrate the stiffness and will, which, alas, he is actually deprived of: “I want you not only to deal with this information, but also with the situation,” he demanded during the video conference from the Minister of Defense. “If she is as described by some of our colleagues, then organizational conclusions are needed regarding everyone who is responsible for this in the government, regardless of the ranks and titles ... And if it is different, then you need to deal with those who sowed panic,” Medvedev demanded. “Do you know, according to the laws of wartime, how did you come with panickers? Shooted! I see? .. So, I allow you to dismiss, ”the head of state joked sweetly.

Serdyukov’s answer was not long in coming. He said that the Ministry of Defense did not sign contracts only 18.5 percent of the state defense order (108 billion rubles). The military department refused to finance orders of those defense corporations that suddenly sharply increased the cost of their products. In the case of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, which today is a monopolist in the production of solid fuel missiles, the cost of the Topol-M and Yars batch increased by 3.9 and 5.6 billion rubles, respectively.

All that Anatoly Serdyukov wants is to deal with pricing. He suspects that the manufacturer impudently stuffs his inefficiency into the price of the product. If one boat on Sevmash has been produced for nine years, he says, then all the costs, including the pig farm, children's and pioneer camps, the rest house, the clinic - they all fall on one unfortunate boat. Previously, this boat cost 47 billion rubles. And now, the minister is outraged, the plant offers a new boat to lay for 112 billion.

“Guys, you will show us all the costs that you want to include in your price, make it transparent, and we are ready to add 20-25% of profitability to this price,” Serdyukov agrees. But when manufacturers begin to open the price, then it “instantly flies by 20-30 percent”, Serdyukov states. At the same time, the minister does not hide doubts that the above 20-30 percent is by no means on the development of production.

And just this seemingly quite legal requirement to make the price transparently brings the rabies of the captains of the military -industrial complex. Academician Yuri Solomonov is extremely clearly verbalizing him: “Was the Ministry of Defense turned into a tax inspectorate?! And psychology is different for tax authorities, other brains. ” The logic is extremely understandable. Solomonov contemptuously calls the “tax authorities” those who are tedious to find at least some justification in a sharp increase in prices. Meanwhile, the reason is quite obvious. Due to the lack of a built chain of industrial cooperation, manufacturers of missiles cannot begin their serial production. This is evidenced by Solomon himself in his scandalous interview with Kommersant: “The volumes are very small, profitability is none. Enterprises are not interested in such small volumes, but without them there is nothing. Another is applied to this: the equipment is obsolete, but this is no longer done. All this will end very deplorable if extraordinary measures are not taken. ”

As such a measure, Solomonov proposes the creation of another (which in a row) institution to control the defense order. But this will be a kind of special department that accompanies breakthrough, highly risked developments. And the supreme commander in chief, on the recommendation of outstanding scientists who will consult a new agency, "could quickly allocate and maintain the most promising directions of weapons and special equipment, directly directing funds for their financing."

In fact, an outstanding scientist dreams of New Lavrentia Pavlovich Beria. No, not about the Enkewed Executioner, of course. And about the curator of the “atomic project”, at the fingers of which all the resources of the country were located. A strict comrade in the pince -nez, who is only interested in one thing - strict execution at all costs of the party’s decisions. He will always provide exactly the money that the general designer will call. And the little things like why the amount is just like that, and not thirty percent less, it is not worried at all.

His antipode, causing undisguised irritation at Solomonov, is a tax authority, an accountant, a bore who intends to pay only the production of a particular batch of a particular “product”. He does not want to overpay not a dime.

In fact, the origins of this conflict originate in the decision of Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, which were adopted by the same time ago, not reformed the domestic military-industrial complex. Then the "United Industrial Corporations" were formed, which are a reincarnation of a dozen of the Soviet ministries of defense industry. The trouble is that these ministries could only exist if there was an omnipotent state plan that allocated funds, set all prices: for raw materials, on an element base, for various components, thus providing the necessary profitability.

But the state plan in a market economy cannot exist. Even the omnipotent Putin cannot restore it. Therefore, it is necessary to look for other models of the functioning of the military -industrial complex. But I don’t want to do this - the conflict with the prime minister is inevitable. Therefore, the president frowns the eyebrows and once again reminds how the harsh fate would have been waiting for the guilty in the Stalin era. However, it has to be recognized that from an economic point of view, the relations of the manufacturer and the customer have not changed too much since then. Therefore, the instruments of relations should remain the same - sharashki, curators from GB, 20 grams of oil ("Lada" in Brezhnev times) as an incentive. Not sure that Yuri Solomonova will arrange such a model of executions.

Photos of RIA Novosti