8 results of the military transformation of Minister Serdyukov
Four years ago, Anatoly Serdyukov, who started a new military reform, became Russia's defense minister. The experts told Trud about the first results of his transformations.
When the military department was headed by Serdyukov, a purely civilian, for many generals this was a shock.
“Today it is obvious that Serdyukov was promoted to this post precisely as a person who was not associated with the traditional military establishment, and as a result, who had an open view on how to modernize the army,” said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
In his opinion, the four-year rule of Serdyukov and his reform changed the army, and we can already speak about its first results.
The army has become more mobile
“Before 2008, our army resembled a fragment of an old, Soviet, oversaturated with heavy weapons, focused on waging a global nuclear war with almost the whole world,” said Vitaly Shlykov, former head of one of the GRU directorates of the General Staff of the General Staff.
According to him, even in the August 2008 war with Georgia, our army was still “Soviet” - slow to rise, with an archaic management structure. Now the situation has changed. In the Ground Forces, the place of divisions capable of advancing in alarm to the place of hostilities no earlier than a day, mobile brigades with an 1 hour alert time were created.
The army gets rid of the spirit of the barracks
“Under Serdyukov, soldier life began to change dramatically,” said Valentina Melnikova, head of the Union of Soldiers ’Mothers of Russia Committees.
Until recently, more than a third of the personnel were dispatched daily for apparels in the kitchen, cleaning the premises and territories of military camps. Now the soldier is gradually freed from these functions. Domestic service of the military engaged in commercial firms.
The troops went to the new technology
Finally, the most large-scale start has been given for the entire post-Soviet history Russia's rearmament.
Now the share of new weapons in the army is 10%, by 2020, it will be 90 – 100%. “Only the Navy will receive 40 submarines and 36 newest ships in the next decade, and the Air Force will receive 1500 aircraft,” says Pukhov.
Officers have increased salaries
Before the reform, the lieutenant was paid 14 thousand rubles per month, the major - 20 thousand. Now they get on 50 and 70 thousands, respectively. But, however, not all yet, but only the officers who distinguished themselves most of all in combat training.
From 2012 onwards, bonus payments will be included in permanent salaries, and the minimum base rate will be 50 thousand rubles. “In terms of pay, the officers of our army are virtually equal to the armies of developed countries,” said Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy head of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis.
The reform is not blundered
Experts consider the fact that it is being carried out at an energetic pace and has not drowned in lengthy coordination as one of the most important results of the military reform.
For example, during the last half year, the military administrative division was radically changed: instead of six military districts, there were four, in each of them a joint strategic command was created. “It was necessary to move from place to place to a huge number of officers and generals, at other times it would take years, but the Defense Ministry did it in just 4 – 5 months,” notes Pukhov.
Ceased to prepare officers
Last year, military colleges stopped recruiting new students to 2012, due to an oversupply of officers. This has affected all military universities. At the same time, almost all 2010 graduates of the year went to work in the civil sphere or were assigned to non-commissioned positions.
This led to the fact that experienced teachers began to leave universities. Instead, they recruited young officers without the necessary experience.
Sergeants almost gone
Previously recruited contract sergeants, in 2009 – 2010, were disbanded. The ministry believes that they were poorly prepared and no different from ordinary soldiers. Now the rate is fully placed on recruits with an even lower level of training.
There is nothing to defend against China
However, some results of the reform are alarming. In the process, the reforms were virtually eliminated. tank parts, says the director of the Center for Military Forecasting Anatoly Tsyganok. “Right now there are only 2000 tanks left in the army, with older models,” he says. In his opinion, tanks in modern combat are the main means of conducting land combat. They are especially relevant on the border with China.
Numbers
1 million people - the number of the Russian army (before the reform - 1,13 million)
150 thousand officers are now serving in the army (there were 350 thousand)
Constant readiness brigade 84 is created by the Ground Forces
20 trillion rubles allocated to the Ministry of Defense before the 2020 year for rearmament
When the military department was headed by Serdyukov, a purely civilian, for many generals this was a shock.
“Today it is obvious that Serdyukov was promoted to this post precisely as a person who was not associated with the traditional military establishment, and as a result, who had an open view on how to modernize the army,” said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
In his opinion, the four-year rule of Serdyukov and his reform changed the army, and we can already speak about its first results.
The army has become more mobile“Before 2008, our army resembled a fragment of an old, Soviet, oversaturated with heavy weapons, focused on waging a global nuclear war with almost the whole world,” said Vitaly Shlykov, former head of one of the GRU directorates of the General Staff of the General Staff.
According to him, even in the August 2008 war with Georgia, our army was still “Soviet” - slow to rise, with an archaic management structure. Now the situation has changed. In the Ground Forces, the place of divisions capable of advancing in alarm to the place of hostilities no earlier than a day, mobile brigades with an 1 hour alert time were created.
The army gets rid of the spirit of the barracks
“Under Serdyukov, soldier life began to change dramatically,” said Valentina Melnikova, head of the Union of Soldiers ’Mothers of Russia Committees.
Until recently, more than a third of the personnel were dispatched daily for apparels in the kitchen, cleaning the premises and territories of military camps. Now the soldier is gradually freed from these functions. Domestic service of the military engaged in commercial firms.
The troops went to the new technology
Finally, the most large-scale start has been given for the entire post-Soviet history Russia's rearmament.
Now the share of new weapons in the army is 10%, by 2020, it will be 90 – 100%. “Only the Navy will receive 40 submarines and 36 newest ships in the next decade, and the Air Force will receive 1500 aircraft,” says Pukhov.
Officers have increased salaries
Before the reform, the lieutenant was paid 14 thousand rubles per month, the major - 20 thousand. Now they get on 50 and 70 thousands, respectively. But, however, not all yet, but only the officers who distinguished themselves most of all in combat training.
From 2012 onwards, bonus payments will be included in permanent salaries, and the minimum base rate will be 50 thousand rubles. “In terms of pay, the officers of our army are virtually equal to the armies of developed countries,” said Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy head of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis.
The reform is not blundered
Experts consider the fact that it is being carried out at an energetic pace and has not drowned in lengthy coordination as one of the most important results of the military reform.
For example, during the last half year, the military administrative division was radically changed: instead of six military districts, there were four, in each of them a joint strategic command was created. “It was necessary to move from place to place to a huge number of officers and generals, at other times it would take years, but the Defense Ministry did it in just 4 – 5 months,” notes Pukhov.
Ceased to prepare officers
Last year, military colleges stopped recruiting new students to 2012, due to an oversupply of officers. This has affected all military universities. At the same time, almost all 2010 graduates of the year went to work in the civil sphere or were assigned to non-commissioned positions.
This led to the fact that experienced teachers began to leave universities. Instead, they recruited young officers without the necessary experience.
Sergeants almost gone
Previously recruited contract sergeants, in 2009 – 2010, were disbanded. The ministry believes that they were poorly prepared and no different from ordinary soldiers. Now the rate is fully placed on recruits with an even lower level of training.
There is nothing to defend against China
However, some results of the reform are alarming. In the process, the reforms were virtually eliminated. tank parts, says the director of the Center for Military Forecasting Anatoly Tsyganok. “Right now there are only 2000 tanks left in the army, with older models,” he says. In his opinion, tanks in modern combat are the main means of conducting land combat. They are especially relevant on the border with China.
Numbers
1 million people - the number of the Russian army (before the reform - 1,13 million)
150 thousand officers are now serving in the army (there were 350 thousand)
Constant readiness brigade 84 is created by the Ground Forces
20 trillion rubles allocated to the Ministry of Defense before the 2020 year for rearmament
Information