"An assignment to compile such a program was set at the previous board session. But an understanding has been reached that the Navy is to be maintained solely at the expense of the government Vooruzheniye (Armament) program and annual state defense order," said Mr. Ivanov.
He noted that the ministry was to assume a single customer system from January 1, 2005, which requires the adoption of a number of documents defining the Navy's strength and quality. It is only after that, continued Sergei Ivanov, that the issue of shipbuilding and naval architecture can be discussed.
The Defense Ministry claims that the financing of the subprogram "The military-strategic interests of Russia" is inadequate. "The financing to the tune of 34 million rubles ($1.2 million) does not correspond to the interests of security. We are asking for more funds on this subprogram," he said.
The Defense Ministry suggests contributing to the appraisal of the seas' resources potential.
"The Defense Ministry is treated like a head agency and therefore we have been getting applications from the bodies of power concerned," the minister said when reporting at the Marine board.
An information bank will be set up on the results of the research, he said, and its data are to be included into the united world system of oceanography and hydrography.
Research is being carried out within the framework of the federal targeted program World Ocean. Sergei Ivanov asked for lifting these irrelevant functions from the defense Ministry and to re-channel them to the Natural Resources Ministry while the Defense Ministry can act as a co-performer of the jobs.
