Russian Analyst: Russian "Red Army" needs change of mentality in top brass

[BoyElroy]

What the Papers Say Part B (Russia)

February 27, 2006 Monday

SECTION: PRESS EXTRACTS; No. 31

HEADLINE: THE RED ARMY: STILL THE SCARIEST OF THEM ALL

BYLINE: Victor Myasnikov

Generals are making preparations for an abortive war against NATO; Money available for defense is not the problem. Over $6 billion a year for weapons is a huge sum. However, Russia is spending it just like 20 years ago. All we need to change is the mentality of Russia's top brass. Otherwise, the Russian Army will remain the Red Army.

BODY:


The Levada Center polling agency reports that 69% of respondents categorically object to their sons, brothers or husbands serving in the Russian Armed Forces. It should be noted that 62% of respondents think that such army cannot defend Russia. At the same time, 51% of respondents think that there are no exterior threats. However, this could mean that 49% of respondents say they sense such a threat.

It's very likely that this category of respondents includes military personnel - the top brass, at least. The Army needs a potential enemy in order to improve its combat-readiness and know what tactic it should use. The question is who this enemy is. Everything was simple in the past - this was NATO, headed by American imperialism. Now Russia and NATO have created the Council and describe our relationship as a partnership. The defense minister recently attended the NATO summit and spoke of peace, friendship and fruitful partnership. Russian warships participate in NATO's anti-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the meantime, the defense minister speaks of Russian missiles, which can overcome any missile system. Only one country is now creating such system - the US. Russian fighters are considered as a remedy against generation five fighters, which only the US has created. Such warplanes will be supplied to NATO's armies. The scenarios of military exercises are based on resistance to armadas of warplanes, nuclear submarines and aircraft-carriers. Russian generals' speeches prompt the name of the potential enemy of the Russian-Belarusian Union.

There is an opinion that generals always prepare for the previous war. Russian generals are preparing for a war in the European theater. The guns of Russian tanks and the binoculars of commanders are aimed to the West, just like 30 or 40 years ago. Russia and Belarus are establishing air defenses in this sector. Russia relocates the S-300 air defense systems to Belarus and lays up nuclear submarines, which will be armed with the Bulava missile complex (by the way, it has not been created yet). Russia pours hundreds of millions of rubles into the development of weapons.

The new anti-terrorism law allows the Army to shoot down hijacked passenger jets. The Army has not changed - but the range of targets of the S-300 air defense systems has expanded.

The Soviet Army has remained almost intact. In the meantime, the French government ordered 32,000 communication systems for soldiers of the Ground Force. Radio stations, satellite navigation systems and computers are installed into military uniforms. France is sure that wars of the future will take place in the streets of large cities.

However, Russian generals maintain that Russian troops will have to fight in marshes and fields. This is why Lieutenant-General Sergei Shlyayev praises leather boots and foot-wraps. US soldiers wear boots that cost $200. Russian recruits are the cheapest in the civilized world. In the meantime, generals and colonels will wear astrakhan hats.

The US is preparing for non-contact wars. Unmanned vehicles and robot tanks will strike the most vulnerable places. Meanwhile, the Russian defense industry offers weapons designed in the 1980s - upgraded, but obsolete anyway. The Russian Army buys the S-300 upgraded to S-400, the Su-27, which has been transformed into the Su-35, the T-72 tank with a new turret (and called the T-90). Money is not the problem. Over $6 billion a year for weapons is a huge sum. However, Russia is spending it just like 20 years ago. All we need to change is the mentality of Russia's top brass. Otherwise, the Russian Army will remain the Red Army.

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, February 27, 2006, p. 2

LOAD-DATE: February 27, 2006

[GazB]

Except there is a huge export market for Russian weapons... in the last few years the only major export items from Russia has been raw materials... ie oil and gas, and military equipment.
The Russians also have UAVs and robot vehicles, and they are also spending money on their soldiers too. They are not wandering around in cheap boots and sheets of cloth instead of socks any more.

[Pindeho]

Well, I spoke to a friend who has served in the VDV about this. Yep, leather boots and wrapps, might sound like bollocks but infact when the western soldier is crying of blisters and hanging toenails the Russian recruit is laughing with a mug of tea. It is a prove technique in foot care, wrapped feet never get blisters or pains of any sort. He said something about it being called a "partanka." $200 dollar boots which as all yanks like having have a microwave a oven and a stero built into them, so they don't get bored in the field.rofl A military is measured by quality of soldiers and not equipment, I love US future "non-contact approach," so laughable it become transparent in a minute. Soon they'll issue cloacking devices and gen 5 aircraft for personal use of US troops........Not a great article.

[GazB]

Meanwhile, the Russian defense industry offers weapons designed in the 1980s - upgraded, but obsolete anyway. The Russian Army buys the S-300 upgraded to S-400, the Su-27, which has been transformed into the Su-35, the T-72 tank with a new turret (and called the T-90). Money is not the problem. Over $6 billion a year for weapons is a huge sum.

The S-400 and S-300 are compatible but are different weapons. The Su-35 is a modification of the Su-27. It is however a radical modification and is intended as an interim design till the PAK-FA is ready in the next decade. The PAK-FA program isn't a cold war dinosaur, but a post cold war design. Equally the T-90 certainly is based on the T-72 but it is also an interim design while the completely different T-95 is prepared for operational use. While next gen items are not pouring off the production lines while money is still not flowing to the Russian military they have adopted an approach of upgrading the stuff they currently have operational and investing in the next gen stuff so when they can afford it it will be ready. Items like the next gen attack helo have already been decided in the form of the Mi-28N. That doesn't mean they will now produce 300 per year to replace the Hind, it means they will adapt the hind to use components used by the Mi-28N to improve the in service Hinds with low flight hours and gradually introduce Mi-28Ns to replace old model hinds. This means they can manufacture various parts of the Mi-28N like the rotors and engines and avionics for the Hind to improve its performance in the field and also add new helos to the fleet with the minimum of fuss. Makes sense to me. The late model Su-35s will have experiemental radars and missiles that are being designed for the PAK-FA too so that pilots and maintainence crews can get used to the new stuff before it is ready for wide scale operation. T-72BM turrets are currently being retrofitted to T-55 chassis to upgrade older models.