Another year of mess in the military department - and it will be possible to put an end to domestic weapons
The confrontation of former tax officials, entrenched in the Ministry of Defense and the defense industry, has reached a boiling point. There are still no contracts for 15% of the state defense order for this year. The president demands, the prime minister is satisfied, and Serdyukov once again promises: “Everything will be okay”. What really happens in the ordering departments of the military department? Does a social explosion threaten disruption of state defense orders? What angered our manufacturers? "AN" asked the chairman of the All-Russian trade union of defense industry workers Andrei CHEKMENEV.Defense slogan: “Serdyukov - leave!”
- Andrey Ivanovich, the newspaper “AN” in No. 28 from 21 of July of this year published an open letter in which you and the FNPR leader Mikhail Shmakov accused Defense Minister A. Serdyukov of actually disrupting the state defense order for the current year. Is there a reaction to your words addressed to the first persons of the country?
- Apart from the words of Serdyukov, that everything will be fine, there was no reaction. Then we sent our appeal to the enterprises of the military-industrial complex with a request to analyze it and, if we agree, put our signature. In a week - several thousand signatories in support. By September, by the time Prime Minister V. Putin has given Serdyukov, we are planning to gather hundreds of thousands already. And then we will present them to the president, the prime minister, and the minister of defense himself, demanding to take personnel decisions regarding Serdyukov. Let the country's leadership be determined: who is more valuable - the domestic defense industry or the current military minister, who by his actions destroys the defense capability of the state.
- Hard. The state defense order breaks down every year. Why now the first persons of the country paid attention to him?
- Apparently, the situation is really critical. The defense directors understood that the issue of the banal survival of their enterprises is more relevant than ever. And the problem is claimed by society.
While no constructive decisions are made, the problem may be exacerbated in the fall. It will become clear that the defense order will not be able to be executed again in many positions due to the late conclusion of contracts through the fault of the Ministry of Defense. Problems will emerge in the spring, if the mess in the ordering departments of the Defense Ministry continues and it will become clear that in March-April, 2012 will not have time to hold contests again.
This is a powder keg that smolders, and when it explodes, it will not seem to anyone. Now the authorities are trying to smooth the situation, so as not to explode during the elections.
Who Putin leads by the nose
- What is happening now in the ordering departments of the Ministry of Defense? Have the professionals stayed there or did the girls come from the tax office?
- Nobody knows that. Black box. We only state the chronic rotation of personnel who deal with this issue. Today, the representative of the customer in one place, tomorrow he has already been transferred or dismissed. It is not clear who today predicts the types of weapons and military equipment (IWT) for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. No one can competently formulate the technical task of the design office, production, defense industry as a whole. And no one wants to take responsibility for a particular decision. New structures, new schemes of work with the defense industrial complex are being created and then liquidated.
There used to be defense order monsters. The same Anatoly Sitnov, who knew everything thoroughly: how much and what technology the Armed Forces will need for several years to come. Now talk about it in the Ministry of Defense is simply no one. Moreover, there is a tendency to completely withdraw the purchase of armaments from the subordination of the Ministry of Defense and give it to the civil department.
- How will it determine the needs of the army?
- And this is not clear to anyone. Apparently, from the availability of money. That is, financial resources are at the forefront, not the real needs of the army. Whether the opinion of specialists will be taken into account is a very big question. Vicious scheme. The Defense Ministry believes that the defense industry is separate, and the army is separate. The logic of merchants, not professionals.
They destroyed the old, albeit not perfect, but working system and have been unable to assemble a new one for four years. Every year new rules of the game and every year promises to bring the system into working condition.
- It is now August 2011 of the year, and the main defense enterprises do not know what they will do next year?
- Clarity is more or less only on the weapons program until 2020. Moreover, for long-term: 2-3-year contracts. For example, the production of Iskanders, carriers and delivery units for strategic nuclear forces in the interests of aviation and the Navy. Regarding conventional weapons - complete uncertainty. On ammunition it was announced that two years of procurement would not be at all.
- But there is a state defense order program in which all positions are clearly fixed!
- 21 December 2010, Prime Minister Putin signs the decree "On the State Defense Order-2011". In the secret annex to it a complete list of the items that should be ordered is specified. Up to the price. Prior to this, consultations were held with the military-industrial commission, with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the Ministry of Defense and each director knew whether or not he was on the list, and, therefore, kept the staff of workers, carried out certain activities for this order.
In early January 2011, the Minister of Defense convenes a meeting and demands that the defense order be reduced. The government resolution was, to put it mildly, adjusted downwards. And no one from the manufacturers was told about it, they knew everything by hearsay.
The cut openly recognized only 31 May at a meeting with Putin. And nothing! - everything gets away with Anatoly Eduardovich! He goes all out in white and says that he is "fighting." Only it is not clear with whom - has already won all. And the hostages are the workers. For example, Novovyatsky plant, which makes controlled aerial bombs and produces other products GNPP "Basalt". He has no orders. And will not. And the company kept the state, paid utilities, wages workers. Worked at a loss.
- And who is this omnipotent and godlike Serdyukov, who can shorten a government decree signed by Putin himself?
- Just the Minister of Defense (smiles). He comes to the authorities and personally explains to him that this is not necessary, it can be reduced. And each time it is justified: “Everything will be fine. But next year. ” Now he is convincing that everything will get better in 2012, and in December of this year they will complete tenders for the purchase of weapons and military equipment. In January everyone will get an advance. Will hope.
But why it could not be done earlier, for example, in the past or the year before last? After all, a broken defense order, 2010, is almost entirely the fault of the Ministry of Defense. This year, for a number of positions, he, too, is already impossible to fulfill. But the penalties for its failure to the manufacturers of the Ministry of Defense imposes regularly and with pleasure.
Because of them, the delivery of products one week later - a complete loss of profitability, over a week - the company works at a loss.
An order is given: “To lower prices to all!”
- What is the essence of discrepancies in determining the price of products from the Ministry of Defense and military-industrial complex enterprises? Why suddenly in an order of law from Arbat Square sounds: to reduce the purchase price by 25 percent?
- In September 2009 of the year, in accordance with the instructions of the Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Deputy Minister of Defense V. Popovkin, the heads of field acceptance were proposed to reduce the price indicators of the cost of work (supply) in GOZ-2010 by 15 per cent in relation to similar by GOZ-2009. The Defense Ministry said it was canceled. However, judging by their actions, this directive continues to work.
“The Defense Ministry blames the defense industry complex for refusing to modernize the much-needed military equipment, and instead trying to impose new developments at crazy prices on the military department ...”
- Not true. Most enterprises in recent years have survived precisely through deep modernization and repair of equipment. There were serious export orders. For example, tanks Middle Eastern bush. There is a whole program of serious modernization of the T-72, T-80 and earlier tanks. Now Israeli, Czech, and French factories are actively entering this segment of the market. And Russia lost millions of dollars due to a boycott of Libya. Now the same situation may arise in Syria. So, there will be more financial losses. These are tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars.
And this is against the background of the actions of the “native” Defense Ministry. For example, as soon as the leadership of the Ministry of Defense stated that it would not buy T-90, the Indians immediately announced that they would reconsider the price for new purchases of these tanks in the direction of a decrease of 10 – 15 percent. Such is the price of statements by General Postnikov.
- There is information that the Ministry of Defense is considering modernizing the equipment itself. And it plans to export it on its own.
- This is not officially said, but at its repair plants, according to unconfirmed reports, the Ministry of Defense is beginning to carry out modernization of armored vehicles. And for internal use and, possibly, for export.
It comes out cheaper. Spare parts are purchased under direct contracts. But no one knows where, who, what quality. Most likely in China. And the responsibility for all the time of operation lies with the manufacturer. And if something happens - they will dump everything on the plant, the Ministry of Defense will stand aside. Few scandals with repairs on the knee of counterfeit parts?
Hats instead of shells cast
- It has already been officially announced that before 2014 there will be no contracts for the supply of ammunition group and special chemistry. Will it be possible to restore production after idle time?
- Always ammunition ordered in excess. Because during combat operations, production will inevitably fall behind the needs of the army. Now, apparently, it is believed that the Defense Ministry will not conduct combat operations. And the exercises will cost arsenal stocks. But there are about 90 percent of ammunition with an expired, albeit extended, shelf life. They can not shoot - at best they will not fly or will not explode at the point of impact. For example, during the events in South Ossetia, aviation could not inflict guaranteed destruction of objects due to the fact that old aerial bombs from warehouses were used. Only new ones began to work.
Stopping ammunition factories for two or three years will lead to the fact that they simply close, personnel will leave and production will be impossible to resume. And after three years, the Ministry of Defense will say: “You can’t do it? Then we will buy abroad. ” And it will really buy abroad, after destroying its production.
- Is there a program for the disposal of ammunition from the arsenals of the Ministry of Defense, which are constantly burning and exploding?
- No, they are stupidly blown up at the landfills. In Russia, there are unique technologies that allow you to safely disassemble ammunition on the spot, as it is dangerous to transport them. And much of the components could be reused. Many plants are ready to transfer their lines to large arsenals and start work. But there are no real movements either from the military department or from other structures. It exploded, the clearing of the fragments was cleared and we continue to live; the Defense Ministry’s headache became smaller with one headache.
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