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TASK ASSIGNMENT
Sergei Konovalov
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
March 21, 2012 Wednesday
Russia
HIGHLIGHT: BETTERMENT OF THE MILITARY IS THE KREMLIN'S NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY; Tasks for the military are to be set at the Defense Ministry
board meeting today.
Now that the elections are finally over, betterment of the military
is once again in the focus of the Kremlin's attention. President
and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev Enhanced Coverage
LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using:Biographies Plus NewsNews, Most
Recent 60 Daysis expected at the Academy of the General Staff today
where the Defense Ministry board will be toting up 2011 and assigning
tasks for 2012. After his inauguration come May, all of that will be
Vladimir Putin's problem.
Sources within the Kremlin maintain that Medvedev's presence at the
Defense Ministry board meeting is necessitated by both protocol and the
"problematic and rapidly changing international situation that has
a direct effect on Russian military security." "Hence the need for
reevaluation of the tasks the military will be facing," said a source.
As a matter of fact, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov assigned
this year tasks for the Army and Navy in November 2011. The
supreme commander-in-chief was absent from the Defense Ministry
board meeting then. Some experts and media outlets took it for an
indication of Serdyukov's forthcoming resignation. It seems, however,
that personnel matters fade into background at this point not that
the national leadership has more pressing matters to attend to -
matters of defense. Some specialists reckon that the Russian army
might be compelled to participate in hostilities before very long,
for the first time since August 2008.
A source within the Defense Ministry said that the future of Syria,
Russia's only ally in the Middle East, was decided nowadays. There
is a chance that Iran will be invaded and that Azerbaijan might try
to reconquer Nagorno-Karabakh which will mean another war with Armenia.
Georgian provocations against Abkhazia and South Ossetia might take
place as well. "Hence the necessity to specify tasks for the Southern
Military District command... in connection with the future exercise
Caucasus'2012. Its legend is being revised at this point."
Secondly, NATO is restricting its military presence in Afghanistan.
Religious groups from this country might therefore penetrate some
countries of the Commonwealth and first and foremost Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. These countries are Russia's allies within
the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization. Joint efforts against
a terrorist invasion from Afghanistan are to be drilled and practiced
with their military.
Thirdly, oil and gas shortage fomented by the lack of stability in the
Middle East compels world powers to concentrate on Arctic oil and gas
fields... and that means the fields in the areas Russia claims for its
own (its claims not yet recognized by the international community). A
source said, "Hence the plans to rapidly build up Russian military
presence in the Arctic region which is necessary for protection of
Russia's hydrocarbons in the area."
Lieutenant General Victor Goremykin, Chief of the Defense Ministry's
Main Directorate for Personnel, said that plans for this year also
stood for staffing some Russian military bases and installations
abroad with contract servicemen. "In fact, contract servicemen already
function in far-away garrisons and harsh climates," he said. It stands
to reason to assume that contract servicemen will be dispatched to
Russian military bases in Armenia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan and to
the Arctic mechanized infantry division that is being formed.
Implementation of the state defense order is the first priority this
year. Speaking at the Defense Ministry board meeting on March 18,
2011, Medvedev demanded heads of those responsible for ruination
of the state defense order a year ago. Some heads did roll with
little to show for it because the 2011 state defense order was ruined
too. All through 2011 the Defense Ministry and the military-industrial
complex kept arguing over military hardware prices. Fortunately,
some progress seems to have been made. At least, the Defense Ministry
and the military-industrial complex shifted from confrontation to
a conversation.
Sergei Konovalov
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
March 21, 2012 Wednesday
Russia
HIGHLIGHT: BETTERMENT OF THE MILITARY IS THE KREMLIN'S NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY; Tasks for the military are to be set at the Defense Ministry
board meeting today.
Now that the elections are finally over, betterment of the military
is once again in the focus of the Kremlin's attention. President
and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev Enhanced Coverage
LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using:Biographies Plus NewsNews, Most
Recent 60 Daysis expected at the Academy of the General Staff today
where the Defense Ministry board will be toting up 2011 and assigning
tasks for 2012. After his inauguration come May, all of that will be
Vladimir Putin's problem.
Sources within the Kremlin maintain that Medvedev's presence at the
Defense Ministry board meeting is necessitated by both protocol and the
"problematic and rapidly changing international situation that has
a direct effect on Russian military security." "Hence the need for
reevaluation of the tasks the military will be facing," said a source.
As a matter of fact, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov assigned
this year tasks for the Army and Navy in November 2011. The
supreme commander-in-chief was absent from the Defense Ministry
board meeting then. Some experts and media outlets took it for an
indication of Serdyukov's forthcoming resignation. It seems, however,
that personnel matters fade into background at this point not that
the national leadership has more pressing matters to attend to -
matters of defense. Some specialists reckon that the Russian army
might be compelled to participate in hostilities before very long,
for the first time since August 2008.
A source within the Defense Ministry said that the future of Syria,
Russia's only ally in the Middle East, was decided nowadays. There
is a chance that Iran will be invaded and that Azerbaijan might try
to reconquer Nagorno-Karabakh which will mean another war with Armenia.
Georgian provocations against Abkhazia and South Ossetia might take
place as well. "Hence the necessity to specify tasks for the Southern
Military District command... in connection with the future exercise
Caucasus'2012. Its legend is being revised at this point."
Secondly, NATO is restricting its military presence in Afghanistan.
Religious groups from this country might therefore penetrate some
countries of the Commonwealth and first and foremost Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. These countries are Russia's allies within
the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization. Joint efforts against
a terrorist invasion from Afghanistan are to be drilled and practiced
with their military.
Thirdly, oil and gas shortage fomented by the lack of stability in the
Middle East compels world powers to concentrate on Arctic oil and gas
fields... and that means the fields in the areas Russia claims for its
own (its claims not yet recognized by the international community). A
source said, "Hence the plans to rapidly build up Russian military
presence in the Arctic region which is necessary for protection of
Russia's hydrocarbons in the area."
Lieutenant General Victor Goremykin, Chief of the Defense Ministry's
Main Directorate for Personnel, said that plans for this year also
stood for staffing some Russian military bases and installations
abroad with contract servicemen. "In fact, contract servicemen already
function in far-away garrisons and harsh climates," he said. It stands
to reason to assume that contract servicemen will be dispatched to
Russian military bases in Armenia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan and to
the Arctic mechanized infantry division that is being formed.
Implementation of the state defense order is the first priority this
year. Speaking at the Defense Ministry board meeting on March 18,
2011, Medvedev demanded heads of those responsible for ruination
of the state defense order a year ago. Some heads did roll with
little to show for it because the 2011 state defense order was ruined
too. All through 2011 the Defense Ministry and the military-industrial
complex kept arguing over military hardware prices. Fortunately,
some progress seems to have been made. At least, the Defense Ministry
and the military-industrial complex shifted from confrontation to
a conversation.