A new Valdai Discussion Club analytical report “Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army” was presented in Moscow on July 19. The report’s authors look in detail at the prerequisites for and the military-political background to the reform of the Russian Armed Forces, which was launched in the fall of 2008.
A new Valdai Discussion Club analytical report
“Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army”
was presented in Moscow on July 19 by its authors –
Ruslan Pukhov, Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, member of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Defense;
Konstantin Makienko, Deputy Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, member of the Expert Council under the Russian State Duma Defense Committee and
Mikhail Barabanov, Editor-in-Chief of
Moscow Defense Brief
. The discussion was moderated by
Pavel Andreev, Executive Director for International Cooperation, RIA Novosti, and Executive Director of the Valdai Club Foundation.
The report analyzes the initial results of the military reform, which was launched in the fall of 2008 to convert the Russian Armed Forces from the traditional system of conscription to a model based on permanent combat readiness. “The military reform has so far been the most radical and successful of all the reforms carried out in Russia over the past 12 years,” Ruslan Pukhov said at the presentation.
Although the reform is often criticized in society, it has always been supported by the country’s political leadership. “The Serdyukov-Makarov reform could well be described as the Putin-Medvedev reform,” Pukhov said. He believes that Russia needs a “white book” on defense to clearly outline the essence and goals of the military reform.
Speaking about the possible reduction of allocations for the reform by 0.5% of GDP in 2012-2013, Konstantin Makienko said that the Defense Ministry should not accept the Finance Ministry’s proposals, because the next two years will be decisive for the development of the Russian defense industry. He recalled that defense spending was not cut during the 2008 crisis and that instead assistance to the aviation and shipbuilding industries was increased, which suggests that the defense budget will not be cut this time either.
At the same time, experts believe that the State Armaments Program to 2020 could be extended by three years, because there are a number of targets that could be adjusted without damaging national defense. Makienko cited the example of the creation of the An-70 military transport aircraft jointly with Ukraine and the Russian-Indian program to produce the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA).
The authors of the report say that the purchase of foreign military equipment is not a problem, but add that no country sells or leases its most modern technologies. “Strategically, Russia stands alone and hence needs to develop its own technologies,” Pukhov said.
Experts concluded that the reform is not complete and there are many issues that still need to be addressed. There has been positive change, such as improved catering and material supplies for military personnel, but the housing issue has not been resolved. Priority attention should also be given to enhancing the quality of human potential, creating incentives for military personnel, and improving the image of the Armed Forces and the attractiveness of military service in the public perception. “This part of the reform will take much longer,” Pukhov concluded.
According to the experts, success in resolving personnel issues could turn the Russian Armed Forces into the most effective state institution, against the general backdrop of Russia’s inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy. On the other hand, failure would spell disaster for the whole military reform.
What makes this report unique is the fact that it is the first written report on the four-year progress of the military reform which has been presented for public discussion. During the debates, its authors pointed out that strategically, the military reform will take another 15 to 20 years. Mikhail Barabanov, Editor-in-Chief of Moscow Defense Brief , said that the reform is like life and hence changes are inevitable.
Many provisions of the report were discussed at the inaugural session of the Defense and Security Section of the Valdai International Discussion Club titled “Modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and Cooperation in International Security,” held in Moscow in May 2011.
