MOSCOW, (RIA Novosti commentator Dmitry Budanov). -- A group of Northern Fleet warships entered the Atlantic Ocean after completing tactical exercises in the Barents Sea.
The Northern Fleet vessels included the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Levchenko, and also other aircraft carrier support ships and vessels. The Northern Fleet group is to meet with a group of Baltic Fleet warships, including the Neustrashimy (Intrepid) and the Pylky (Fervent) escort vessels, and also the Lena tanker. It will then conduct new exercises as part of a far larger oceanic group.
Many different exercises were carried out in August in Russia. Units from all of the armed services of the Russian Armed Forces fired cruise missiles at remote targets located on the test range near the city of Vorkuta, and also participated in the Russian-Chinese Peace Mission 2005 military exercises. In addition, Russian, Kazakh, Ukrainian and Belarusian security forces conducted the Caspian Antiterror-2005 exercises in southern Russia. And Russian troops also participated in exercises with CIS countries at the Ashuluk air defense training field near Astrakhan.
This is the first time in the history of the Russian armed forces (or indeed the history of the Soviet armed forces) that exercises have been conducted on such a large scale and in areas so far apart from one another.
This broad program of military exercises is being carried out on the basis of Russia's current military doctrine, which was approved by presidential decree on April 21, 2000, and the policy paper Urgent Tasks for the Development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, announced by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on October 2, 2003. The policy paper states that, "tactical training should not be limited to exercises and war games conducted on maps. Russia must resume the practice of command post and field exercises by troops."
Russia is leaving behind the days when arms and military equipment were left to rot in hangars, warships rusted in their moorings, and servicemen learned the art of warfare from manuals, if at all. The Russian Army and Navy are now doing what they are meant to do: they are training to defend the national interests of their country.
Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin directly participated in several stages of the tactical exercises involving long-range aviation and the Northern Fleet. Putin said that Russia should and would devote much more attention to providing the armed forces with modern military equipment and combat support systems, and also to training servicemen and improving discipline and law and order in the army. He said that Russia would also address the social problems of the military, such as their financial allowances and housing. These tasks have already been set before the government.
The federal program to transform the Russian Army into a professional army is being implemented, while the program to provide servicemen with mortgage credits has been approved, and medium-term programs for developing and upgrading arms, both nuclear deterrence and conventional arms, have been drawn up.
The issue of developing the defense industrial complex and upgrading defense hardware is currently being addressed. Five years ago, 30% of the military budget was spent on arms and military equipment and 70% on the upkeep of military personnel. The ratio has changed, with 60% now spent on the maintenance of the Army and Navy and 40% on their development. Putin says that the ratio needs to change yet further, to 50:50 as a minimum, and preferably to 40:60, that is 40% on maintenance and 60% on development.
The government is increasing the defense budget year on year, on average by 15-20% annually. The 2006 budget allocates 20% more than the current budget to providing the army and navy with new arms and military equipment. Defense procurement will increase in absolute terms by 38 billion rubles and will reach 225 billion rubles. It is to be hoped that this money will be spent wisely.
