: Russian Armed Forces and its geopolitical priorities

Having started the topic of military reform, Polit.ru decided to introduce readers to the official point of view on the state of affairs in the field of military development and military strategy of Russia. The text published today was signed by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, about whom we have already written many times. The article is published recently in the issue of the magazine “Russia in Global Affairs”.

We consistently advocate that the importance of military force in solving international problems be reduced to a minimum, and that its functions be limited to deterring wars and armed conflicts. However, taking into account global development trends, the Russian military-political leadership is forced to adjust its vision of the role and place of military policy and military instruments. The presence of sufficient military potential in Russia, primarily modern and effective Armed Forces, becomes one of the conditions for its successful and painless integration into the emerging system of international relations.

GLOBAL TRENDS IN WORLD DEVELOPMENT

Firstly, in the global system of military-political relations, countering the challenges stimulated by the processes of globalization becomes most urgent. These challenges include the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, international terrorism, demographic problems and ethnic instability, the activities of radical religious communities and groups, drug trafficking, and organized crime. The nature of the challenges is such that it is impossible to effectively combat them within the framework of individual states. In this regard, the importance of international cooperation between security agencies, including intelligence services and the armed forces, is sharply increasing.

Secondly, the implementation of international power operations outside traditional military-political organizations and institutions is becoming a reality. Military force is increasingly being used within coalitions formed on a temporary basis. This practice is likely to expand in the future. Russia continues to insist on strict adherence to international law when forming such coalitions and will only join them if its national interests require it.

Thirdly, the economic interests of states become priority over military-political interests. Moreover, an increasingly complex combination of the economic interests of individual states and the interests of large transnational companies is emerging. As a result, if previously the basis for making a decision to use military means, as a rule, was the presence of a direct threat to security, now military force is increasingly used to ensure economic interests. This objectively expands the scope of demand for military force.

Fourthly, there has been a merging of domestic and international terrorism. Attempts to divide terrorist activity into domestic and international are becoming meaningless. This applies to both approaches to the political assessment of the terrorist threat and forceful measures to neutralize it. It is obvious that the share of responsibility of the armed forces, in particular the Russian Armed Forces, in countering terrorism has increased significantly.

Fifthly, in determining the nature of the foreign policy priorities of various states of the world, non-state actors of the system of international relations are playing an increasingly important role. Non-governmental organizations, international movements and communities, interstate organizations and informal “clubs” have a significant, often contradictory, impact on the policies of individual states.

These trends complement and sometimes modify the processes unfolding at the level of bilateral political relations, as well as within the framework of traditional interstate organizations. The most important aspect that determines approaches to the construction and development of the Russian Armed Forces is also the nature of our country’s relations with the most significant institutions of the modern system of international relations.

Russia strives for active participation in major international organizations to ensure various aspects of its foreign policy interests.

The United Nations and the UN Security Council are considered by Russia as the most important instruments ensuring global stability. The downplaying of their role and the transition to the practice of using armed forces on the basis of decisions made by individual states appears to be an extremely dangerous trend. In the future, it can create a serious threat to the political and military-political interests of Russia.

The development of relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is one of the priority areas of foreign policy for Russia. Our country strives to continue to strengthen the potential for coordinating the military-political activities of the CIS countries within the framework of existing structures and institutions, and above all the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia will continue to advocate for its transformation into an effective interstate organization that has a stabilizing influence on the overall military-political situation in the Commonwealth of Independent States and its adjacent regions.

Russia's relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are defined by the 2002 Rome Declaration. Russia is closely monitoring the process of NATO transformation and expects a complete removal of both direct and indirect anti-Russian components from the military planning and political declarations of NATO member countries. But if NATO remains as a military alliance with the offensive military doctrine in force today, then Russian military planning and the principles of building the Russian Armed Forces, including their nuclear component, will be adequately revised. Russia is ready to further develop constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the European Union (EU), with unconditional recognition of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and respect for its right to combat all manifestations of international terrorism.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) plays a critical role in ensuring stability in Central Asia and the Far East region. Further strengthening of the SCO's potential will make it possible to form a zone of peace and stability in the southeastern and Far Eastern directions, which, in turn, will eliminate or make unlikely the emergence of a large-scale military threat there.

In the event of an unfavorable development of the military-political situation in these areas, Russia will be forced to consider the region as a potential source of instability. Of particular importance for Russia are its relations with the United States of America. We look forward to expanding multifaceted cooperation with the United States, including on issues of ensuring global and regional stability, as well as strengthening the non-proliferation regime for weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Russia proceeds from the premise that compromise solutions to any international problems must be achieved on the basis of strict adherence to international law and mutual respect for national interests.

So, the modern international situation is characterized by dynamism, inconsistency, and the evolution of a number of key international institutions. This situation requires a new assessment of the system of threats to the security of the Russian Federation and the formulation of military development priorities that correspond to Russia’s international status and its available resources.

SECURITY THREATS TO RUSSIA

There are three types of threats, the neutralization of which is, to one degree or another, the function of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: external, internal and cross-border.

It should be noted that even traditional external threats are acquiring new aspects. In particular, such as interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation by foreign states or organizations supported by them, instability in border countries caused by the weakness of their governments, and some others should be considered relatively new for Russian military planning. The role of the Armed Forces is growing in countering such threats as the implementation by states, coalitions of states or socio-political movements of programs to create weapons of mass destruction or their gaining access to the most dangerous types of weapons.

The peculiarities of modern external threats require the Russian Armed Forces to perform tasks of a different nature in different regions of the world. The preventive use of force cannot be absolutely ruled out if the interests of Russia or its allied obligations require it.

The most important internal threats, the neutralization of which is among the tasks of the Armed Forces, should include

:

• attempts to forcibly change the constitutional system and violate the territorial integrity of Russia;
• creation, equipment, training and functioning of illegal armed groups;
• illegal trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• large-scale activities of organized crime that threaten political stability on the scale of individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
• activities of separatist and radical religious-nationalist movements.

Particular attention should be paid to transboundary threats, which, while internal in form of manifestation, are external in nature.

For example, such as:

• activities on Russian territory of structures associated with the international terrorist community;
• training on the territory of other states of armed formations for actions on the territory of Russia or its allies;
• cross-border crime, smuggling and other illegal activities.

The need to counter cross-border threats will increase, which must be reflected in military planning. The armed forces will participate in neutralizing internal and cross-border threats together with other security agencies, acting on the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Russian legislation. In such a difficult period for the country, it would be irresponsible to limit the activities of the Armed Forces only to the external sphere. The experience of Chechnya has taught us a lot. After all, it was here that, while countering a threat that took the form of an internal rebellion, Russia faced external aggression from international terrorist organizations.

Particular consideration should be given to the possibility of returning nuclear weapons to the properties of a real military instrument. This is an extremely dangerous trend that undermines global and regional stability. Even a slight lowering of the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons will require Russia to restructure the system of command and control of troops and the principles of their combat use.

In general, it can be stated that none of the existing conflict situations outside Russian territory creates a direct military threat to its security. However, it is necessary to calculate the situation that may arise in the future. In the foreseeable future, Russian military planning will be determined by the existence of a number of uncertainty factors, that is, conflicts or processes, the development of which could significantly change the geopolitical situation in regions of priority for Russia’s interests or create a direct threat to its security. Such factors include, for example, the internal situation in a number of CIS countries and their border areas.

Modern military planning must also take into account the experience gained during armed conflicts at the end of the last - beginning of this century. Correct assimilation of this experience requires abandoning habitual stereotypes.

Over the past period, no single dominant type of armed conflict has emerged. This means that combat training, operations planning, and military-technical support must be as flexible as possible. It is also clear that the old concept of conventional wars, both limited and large-scale, is undergoing significant changes. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare both for military operations in their classical form and for the fight against terrorism. Most recent conflicts have developed in a limited area within one theater of military operations, but with the widespread use of forces and assets located outside it. This requires a readiness not only to defend itself in the event of external aggression, but also the ability to transfer hostilities to enemy territory in one way or another.

It is absolutely clear that the course and outcome of the armed struggle will be determined mainly by confrontation in the aerospace sphere and at sea, and ground groups will consolidate the achieved success and directly ensure the achievement of political goals. Anyone who still believes that in modern warfare the decisive blows of tank wedges will still be decisive is living with outdated ideas.

It is also clear that success will be on the side of those who can functionally integrate all information flows and adjust plans for the combat use of troops in real time depending on the changing situation. Therefore, the operational structure of a group of troops must include an intelligence and information center, an automated, highly secure system for command and control of troops and weapons, and most importantly, an aerospace echelon that performs both reconnaissance and strike functions.

The peculiarities of modern wars and armed conflicts force us to formulate new tasks for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. These tasks should take into account both the already manifested features of the development of the military-political situation in Russia’s zones of interests, and possible directions for the development of the principles of armed struggle.

TASKS OF THE RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES

The tasks of the Russian Armed Forces are classified into four main areas:

1. Containment of military and military-political threats to security, including ensuring strategic stability and territorial defense of the country.
2. Ensuring economic and political interests, which may include carrying out operations using the Armed Forces by decision of the President of the Russian Federation.

3. Conducting peacetime military operations, including

   fulfillment of allied obligations, as well as carrying out

   peacekeeping operations under a UN or CIS mandate. I note that we

   We are working on the issue of creating in 2004 an operating

   on a permanent basis as a separate peacekeeping brigade consisting of

   Ground forces.

4. The use of military force to neutralize a military threat, in

   including in conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Taking all this into account, it can be stated that the Russian Armed Forces must be able to:

• in peacetime and in emergency situations, successfully solve problems with forces of constant readiness simultaneously in two armed conflicts of any type, maintaining the potential of strategic deterrence and without carrying out additional

  mobilization activities, as well as carry out peacekeeping operations both independently and as part of multinational contingents;

• in case of aggravation of the situation, provide strategic

  deployment and contain the escalation of the situation through

  strategic forces and maneuver by forces of constant readiness;

• in wartime, to repel with available forces

  aerospace attack by the enemy, and then

  full-scale strategic deployment to solve problems

  simultaneously in two local wars.

Thus, the geopolitical needs of Russia’s development and the nature of the tasks assigned to its Armed Forces in the field of ensuring national security make it possible to formulate the main priorities for the construction and development of the Russian army and navy, taking into account their current state.

RUSSIAN ARMY AND NAVY: MAIN RESULTS OF TRANSFORMATIONS

In the years since the Russian Federation gained sovereignty, its Armed Forces have gone through a difficult path. They, like the country as a whole, were in the process of active reform associated with global changes in the geopolitical situation in the world and the formation of a renewed Russian statehood. In the context of incomplete transformations of the socio-economic structure of society, the country's political leadership has set the task of implementing large-scale quantitative and qualitative changes in the Russian army and navy. And despite all the difficulties, serious results were achieved.

First of all, the legal framework for the development of the Armed Forces and the foundations of the system of political and public control of their activities have been formed. A system of interaction between the army and navy with other law enforcement agencies of the country has been created.

Structural reforms have been carried out to ensure an increase in the efficiency of the military command and control system. The armed forces have switched to a new structure that better meets today's requirements.

The reduction in the size of the army and navy has largely been completed. This process was painful, largely due to its scale. Let me remind you that in 1993 the Russian Armed Forces consisted of 2 million 750 thousand military personnel. The economic crisis of the past years also had a negative impact. However, the Russian Armed Forces passed the test with honor. No major reductions are envisaged in the future; the number of armed forces has been brought to the level of defense sufficiency, corresponding to approximately a million military personnel.

The system of recruiting the Armed Forces has undergone significant changes. An active transition to the contract principle of staffing the positions of soldiers and sergeants has begun.

The prerequisites have been created for the deployment of a modern system of social security for military personnel, although a number of complex issues have not yet been resolved, in particular the provision of housing for military personnel. In general, it can be stated: large-scale changes in the Armed Forces associated with a radical restructuring within the framework of military reform have been completed. The results achieved made it possible to move from solving the problems of the survival of the Armed Forces to full-fledged military construction.

The military-political leadership of the country and the Ministry of Defense were faced with a new large-scale task - developing a concept for the further development of the army and navy. And it was developed. Its main provisions were set out on October 2, 2003 at a meeting with the participation of the military-political leadership of the country and the senior command staff of the Russian Armed Forces and promulgated in an essentially doctrinal document “Current tasks for the development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Now we can rightfully declare that the Russian military department has a clear vision of the priorities for building the army and navy, based on taking into account the place and role of Russia in the modern system of international relations and on the fundamental position that military planning should henceforth be based on real needs in the field of national security.

PRIORITIES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES

Preserving the potential of the strategic deterrent forces. The main goal of the Russian Federation's policy in the field of strategic deterrence is to prevent any type of forceful pressure and aggression against our country or its allies. Deterrence will be based on the ability to respond by inflicting damage, the extent of which would call into question the achievement of the goals of possible aggression. In any case, no one should doubt that the full potential will be used to guarantee the protection of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and other vital national interests of Russia or its allies.

Increasing the number of formations and units of constant readiness and forming groupings of troops on their basis. The long-term task of military development, taking into account the experience of combat use of troops, is the creation of groupings united by a single command and capable of carrying out combat missions with peacetime personnel. The basis of such groupings of troops (forces) should be formations and military units of constant readiness.

Formations and military units of permanent readiness include those that are capable of carrying out combat missions in peacetime and wartime without taking measures to supplement them with mobilization resources. Groups of forces of constant readiness are being created in all strategic directions. Their composition is different, but adequate to the degree of threats to national security. As one of the main priorities for the development of the Russian Armed Forces in the coming years, one should consider increasing the number of units and formations of permanent readiness, increasing their ability to transport over long distances using military transport aviation.

Intensifying the transfer of the Armed Forces to a contract basis. The transfer of the Armed Forces to a contract basis is not an end in itself, but a means of increasing the combat readiness of the Armed Forces. The federal target program “Transition to the recruitment of military personnel serving under contract in a number of formations and military units” for 2004-2007 was adopted. At the same time, the implementation of the program for the partial transition of the Armed Forces to a contract does not eliminate the need to maintain a prepared mobilization reserve.

Improving operational and combat training of troops. Operational and combat training of the Armed Forces must be carried out taking into account military and other threats to Russia, the guaranteed fulfillment of tasks to ensure the military security of the country, new trends in the nature of armed struggle and methods of action of troops, the operational purpose of groupings, the characteristics of the theater of military operations and the potential enemy.

Recently, a serious breakthrough has been made in improving the quality of combat training. The number of exercises and combat training events in 2003 across all branches of the Armed Forces was almost twice as high as in 2002.

The draft budget of the Ministry of Defense for 2004 plans to allocate about 16% of all funds to the development of the combat training system. During the exercises in 2004, emphasis will be placed on working out issues of mobility of diverse forces and assets, including testing the possibility of carrying out inter-theater regrouping. We must proceed from the fact that our troops in the majority of possible armed conflicts will be confronted by an enemy, most often consisting of different types of formations, actively using guerrilla and sabotage-terrorist tactics.

An important direction of military development is the integration of the entire support process of the Armed Forces and other troops of the Russian Federation through the transition to interdepartmental systems of technical and logistical support.

The main goal of this transition is to increase the efficiency of technical and logistical support for all military formations based on the integration of the relevant bodies of law enforcement ministries and departments of Russia, as well as the rational use of material and technical base and infrastructure.

The task of timely equipping the Armed Forces with modern weapons and military equipment cannot be solved without optimizing the system of ordering weapons and military equipment in accordance with the requirements of the time. Already today, twenty general customers for weapons and military equipment have been established for the Armed Forces (in 1997 there were fifty-seven, in 1999 - twenty-nine). In order to reduce ordering structures, one was left in all branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the armed forces.

To centralize orders and supplies of weapons and military equipment in the Ministry of Defense and other bodies with military formations, the State Committee for Defense Ordering was established under the Ministry of Defense by Decree of the President of Russia No. 311 of March 11, 2003.

Improving military education. Modernization of the Armed Forces requires constant improvement of the professional knowledge and skill of the officer corps. Reforms in the military education system are necessary, including in connection with the partial transfer of sergeant and enlisted positions to a contract basis. Officers must be able to effectively manage subordinates, who sometimes have extensive life experience and a high educational level.

To solve the most difficult problems of military education, on May 27, 2002, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted the Federal program “Reforming the military education system in Russia for the period until 2010.” In the coming years, the military education system will be improved taking into account the formation of an interdepartmental system for training personnel in military specialties for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies of the country.

The already tested practice of training future officers at military departments of civilian universities with mandatory conscription into the ranks of the Armed Forces seems promising.

A special topic is the training of reserve officers in military departments. Their number does not correspond to the planned figures established for military departments of universities, and today only every tenth specialist trained in these departments is in demand. The number of military departments training specialists in small military specialties that are actually not in demand by the Ministry of Defense has increased unjustifiably. Obviously, the question of paying for the functioning of military departments should be raised based on the actual fulfillment of planned tasks, which should either stimulate the preservation of military departments, or raise the question of their reduction due to inexpediency.

Improving the social security system. The basis of the social policy of the Ministry of Defense, in addition to increasing the level of pay for military personnel, is solving the housing problem.

It is clear that this problem cannot be solved in a year or two. The current system of providing housing for military personnel requires fundamental changes. It is necessary not only to increase allocations for housing construction, but also to immediately begin the transition to a funded system for providing military personnel with housing. Currently, the Ministry of Defense's official housing stock is only 98 thousand apartments. And in order for every person to be guaranteed to have a roof over their head while serving in the army, about 450 thousand service apartments are required.

Calculations show that the problem of providing military personnel with official housing will be completely resolved by 2012-2015. To this end, in addition to the construction of new apartments, barracks and other buildings vacated during the planned reduction in the number of troops will be actively rebuilt into official housing. Only the accelerated formation of a service housing fund in combination with the continuation of the State Housing Certificates program designed for 2002-2010 and the implementation of a funded system for providing military personnel with housing will make it possible to get out of a situation that seems today to be a dead end.

The Government of the Russian Federation has approved a plan for the preparation of regulatory legal acts and implementation of measures for the transition to a funded system for providing military personnel with housing. The program being developed by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development will create a fundamentally new mechanism. In essence, it is planned to accumulate budget funds in the account of each military personnel in such a way that upon reaching 20 years of service, he can purchase his own comfortable housing in various regions of Russia. And after this period, so-called bonus accruals are provided to the personal account, which will stimulate the serviceman’s continued stay in the ranks of the Armed Forces.

The transition to a funded system will ensure social justice and in fact confirm that military personnel are citizens with a special state status.

Improving the system of education and moral and psychological support for military personnel, patriotic education of Russian citizens. At all times, success in battle was determined not by technology, but by people. The solution to the assigned tasks depends on their fighting spirit and moral strength. Therefore, training personnel and maintaining a high level of military discipline have always been, are and will be one of the main tasks of military leaders at all levels.

High morale and moral strength of military personnel do not arise suddenly. They are the result of a conscious, purposeful influence on the worldview, intellect, moral state and psyche.

Despite the massive impact of the entire complex of factors that negatively affect the situation in the troops, the personnel of the Armed Forces continue to remain one of the most law-abiding social strata of society. It is known that the crime rate among military personnel is two times lower than in the Russian Federation as a whole.

* * *

The country's leadership and the Ministry of Defense have a clear program for the development and increase in the effectiveness of the Armed Forces, based on a realistic understanding of the state's capabilities, as well as the tasks that Russia faces in the process of its integration into the modern system of international relations.

We consider the use of military force as a forced last resort, advisable only if all other possibilities have been exhausted. Interaction with various international institutions significantly facilitates the implementation of Russia's foreign policy goals, but does not provide a complete and unconditional guarantee of security. Such a guarantee can only be provided by the presence of a highly effective army and navy.

Today we can confidently state that the period of crisis development of the Russian military organization has ended. Problems that have occurred in the recent past are among the inevitable difficulties of growth. Now the main thing is to modernize the military organization within the framework of the designated priorities for its development.

In the 21st century, the Russian Armed Forces must correspond to the status of our great power.