Thread by @RALee85

Thread: Vladimir Putin visited the Russian MoD's National Defense Control Center today where he took part in the annual expanded defense ministry board meeting. Plenty of defense and procurement details, as it is the end of GPV-2020's planned period.
en.kremlin.ru/events/preside…

"the share of modern equipment in the Soviet Army’s general-purpose forces was 54%, and in the strategic/ nuclear forces 65-70%... In 2000, the share of modern equipment in the general-purpose forces dropped to a critically low 12%, and in the nuclear deterrence forces to 35%. 2/

"He told me: 'What can I do? We do not even have enough money to maintain the nuclear forces.' What about now? As of mid-December 2020, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the Russian military is over 70% for the general-purpose forces and 86% for the nuclear forces." 3/

"Therefore, our Army and, most importantly, our nuclear triad have reached the level that guarantees Russia’s security. There is something I really need to underscore. It is absolutely unacceptable to stand idle." 4/
kremlin.ru/events/preside…

Putin continued, "The pace of change in all areas that are critical for the Armed Forces is unusually fast today. It is not even Formula 1 fast – it is supersonic fast. You stop for one second and you start falling behind immediately. 5/

"Therefore, as soon as 2021, in our nuclear deterrent forces, we must reach a level of 88.3% of modern weapons. We know exactly what needs to be done and for which weapons. As for our general-purpose forces, they should reach a level of 75.9% by 2024, that is, almost 76%." 6/

Putin said the Russian military conducted >5,700 exercises and drills in 2020 and added, "Our service members are acting responsibly and courageously in Syria. In fact, their daily work is the most important factor of stability in that country and in the entire region." 7/

Russian peacekeepers in NK, "presence is now a guarantee of the parties’ compliance with the agreements on the cessation of hostilities. They are also doing a lot to improve the humanitarian situation and help refugees, to de-mine the area and rebuild social infrastructure" 8/

Putin thanked the military for its role fighting COVID-19 noting that, "military medical organisations have accepted almost 37,000 coronavirus patients for inpatient treatment, including ~13,000 civilians." In 9 months, the MoD built 30 medical centers to help in this effort. 9/

"the military and political situation in the world remains complicated. There are high risks of escalation in the South Caucasus, the Middle East, Africa and other regions. NATO’s military activity persists. Unfortunately, the arms control system continues to deteriorate." 10/

"Under contrived pretexts, the US has withdrawn from the ABM, INF, and the Open Skies Treaties. There is uncertainty with regard to the New START which...will expire in Feb 2021. We have repeatedly stated our readiness to extend the treaty but there has been no response." 11/

Re: defense planning, "We took all the existing and potential threats to Russian security into account...The main conclusion is obvious. We will continue to work actively on the qualitative development of the Armed Forces, enhancing their combat readiness and efficiency." 12/

Putin instructed to focus on key tasks: "1st, it is necessary to maintain our nuclear weapons in high combat readiness and develop all components of the nuclear triad. This is of fundamental importance to ensure our national security and preserve strategic parity in the world."13

"As you know, such meetings [meeting in Sochi in November] have already become traditional. Our approaches in this area are strictly defensive and set forth in the 2020 document On the Principles of State Nuclear Deterrence Policy of the Russian Federation." 14/

"2nd, it is as important to consolidate the potential of the non-nuclear deterrent capability, primarily high-precision weapons. We do not intend to produce and deploy medium- and shorter-range missiles in the European part of Russia or in other areas of the country," 15/

"However, we must be ready to respond in a timely manner to the Western countries’ deployment of counterpart missiles near our borders. If we are forced to, we must take all response measures and do this in the shortest time possible. I have no doubt that we will do this," 16/

"3rd, we must continue smoothly reequipping the Army and the Navy with modern weapons and hardware. In other words, the assignments of the state defence order must be fulfilled strictly on time." 17/

"I would like to emphasize that with respect to strategic forces, we have already done serious research and technology groundwork on pieces of equipment that have no counterparts in the world. Our general-purpose forces must be developed in the same way." 18/

"Let me add that the MoD and defense enterprises must review the question of signing long-term contracts on all the main types of weapons. At the same time it is necessary to absolutely rule out unjustified increases in the costs of orders, use rational pricing procedures." 19/

"4th, the technical modernization of the Army and the Navy requires the introduction of new forms and methods of combat action. It is necessary to develop military science for this purpose. It is not enough just to study the experience of current conflicts and local wars." 20/

"It is also essential to make forecasts for the future, in part, to take into consideration the appearance of weapons based on new physical principles in the armies of some Western countries. We know this..., but we must constantly keep our attention focused on it." 21/

"Fifth, combat training must include more active use of weapons and equipment with AI elements, which we discussed at the Security Council meeting only recently, including robotic vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and automated control and command systems." 22/

"Such weapons can increase the combat capability of units several times and will largely determine the outcome of hostilities today and in the near future. In addition, new approaches to using the Union State’s regional group must be tested during the upcoming Zapad 2021." 23/

"1 of our main objectives and clear priorities is to raise the standards of social guarantees for the country’s defenders." He mentioned a 3% increase in military pay this year. From 2018–2023, ~138,000 personnel will receive housing and 198,000 military-provided housing. 24/

He then handed off to Sergei Shoigu, who started with "In 2020, the geography of challenges expanded, and the role of the armed force in resolving international problems increased. NATO sees Russia as the main threat to their military build-up on our borders." 25/

"The United States has started redeploying its combat units from Germany to Poland and the Baltic countries. The reconnaissance and demonstration actions of US aircraft and warships near Russian borders have become 15 percent more active over the past year." 26/

"The US is building up the forward presence of US ships in the Arctic. NATO exercises, conducted simultaneously on Russia’s western, southern and eastern borders have become systematic. In Aug-Sep, they involved 55 aircraft, including strategic bombers and 12 ships with PGMs" 27/

Our nuclear triad is maintained at a level that guarantees strategic deterrence. Over 95% of our strategic missile forces are continuously ready for combat use... This year, our strategic bombers performed 50 flights on pre-set routes." 28/

"The high combat readiness of our strategic nuclear forces is ensured by the unprecedented level of our modern arms, which stands at 86%. This year, 3 missile regiments of the strategic missile forces have been reequipped with Yars missiles." 29/

"The 1st regiment continues to be reequipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. The aviation strategic nuclear forces have been armed with five upgraded Tu-95 MS missile carriers." 30/

The Navy has received the Knyaz Vladimir SSBN armed with Bulava SLBM and cutting-edge systems for overcoming missile defenses. Modern infrastructure has been created for the Yars and Avangard systems. This year over 950 structures and facilities have been built for the RVSN. 31/

"The Ground Forces have received over 3,500 new and upgraded weapons, including 220 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, and over 1,500 pieces of automotive equipment. A new motor rifle division – missile artillery brigades – has been established." 32/

"13 military units have been formed in the VKS, including a military transport aviation regiment and an anti-aircraft missile regiment. 147 aircraft and >150 pieces of air defense equipment, including four S-400 systems and 24 Pantsir-S combat vehicles, have been fielded." 33/

"to develop the military airfield network, runways at 14 airfields have been upgraded and >270 buildings/structures have been built. The VKS began to receive the first modern Inokhodets (footage is of Orions) and Forpost (Forpost-M?) reconnaissance and attack medium-range UAVs."

"The Unified Space System has boosted its combat capabilities." Shogiu said the 4th Kupol spacecraft was launched in May, the Soyuz-2 launch complex and assembly/testing complex for booster rockets were renovated, and the test launch of the Angara-A5 rocket was successful. 35/

The VMF received:
-2 submarines
-7 surface ships
-10 combat boats
-10 ships/support boats
-The # of Bal and Bastion systems reached 74% of the target number.
-A motorized rifle division and a coastal missile brigade have been formed.
-The Black Sea Fleet's HQ was upgraded. 36/

"Thus, the goal of rearmament as instructed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in the May 2012 Executive Order has been achieved. The level of modern weapons in the Armed Forces now stands at 70.1%." 70% modern weapons was the key target for the 10-year state armaments program.37/

"to increase it, the MoD is working to improve the cost strategy that made it possible to exclude an unsubstantiated increase in the cost of government contracts in 2018–2020, to preserve GPV in the amount of 551 B RUB, and to use these funds for re-equipping the troops." 38/

"The use of forward funding will make it possible to cope with the shortage of allocations for building open ocean ships and reducing the deadlines for delivering modern aircraft. At present, 16 open ocean surface ships are being built and another 19 upgraded." 39/

"Government contracts for another six ships like this will be concluded next year. Considering the current number of contracts, the total number of blue-water warships that are under construction or are being upgraded is 41." 40/

"As for aircraft, the early delivery of 94 planes and helicopters is planned for the end of 2024" which includes 22 Su-57 fighters (a total of 76 should be delivered by 2028). Shoigu said the share of modern equipment in the Army and Navy should reach 75.9% by late 2024. 41/

"We are planning to sign long-term contracts on all major types of weapons. They will allow defense enterprises to confidently plan their operations for the next seven years, purchase the required materials and effectively manage their operational activities." 42/

"Early next year we will sign long-term contracts for additional purchase of long-range high-precision missiles, thus doubling this number...I would like to emphasize that our Armed Forces have become one of the most advanced and technologically developed armies in the world."43/

"We have matched the parameters of the armed forces of many states in the level of modern weapons." Shoigu said that at the peak of the pandemic, 2.3 million OPK specialists/workers were in self-quarantine and most enterprises stopped operations. 44/

Shoigu then spoke at length about the MoD's efforts in fighting COVID-19, including the RKhBZ's 48th Central Research Institute which took part in developing the Sputnik V vaccine. 45/

"Amid the pandemic, the military has fully retained its high combat capability and carried out all planned activities. A significant contribution to the training of personnel was achieved with the snap inspections of combat readiness, carried out continuously for 7 years." 46/

"Over the year, the Armed Forces carried out over 18.5 thousand training events at various levels. The intensity of inter-service training increased by five percent and bilateral exercises by six percent." 47/

"The main combat training event was the Kavkaz-2020 strategic command-staff exercise. It showed the high level of training of military C2, strategic and operational levels, and the ability of troops to reliably ensure Russia's military security along the SW border." 48/

Re: Ocean Shield exercise, "This group demonstrated its ability to effectively carry out tasks to protect our national interests in the waters of 3 oceans and 9 seas, including the NSR. The VMF conducted 140 cruises to all strategically important regions of the World's Oceans"49/

Shoigu said VMF ships conducted 122 visits/port calls to 28 foreign countries, and mentioned the Slavic Brotherhood, Bridge of Friendship, Selenga and Druzhba international exercises, and the CSTO Echelon logistics and the Indestructible Brotherhood command-staff exercises. 50/

"We are continuing to form a professional army. 13k officers who graduated from academies have been assigned to the military units. Commissioned officer slots are >96% filled. The # of kontrakniki is increasing: their # in all corps/branches is almost twice that of conscripts"51/

"The need for contracted service personnel with certain specialties is caused by regular deliveries of new weaponry and military equipment. As of now, they are 6% short of the estimated necessary numbers. By late 2022 it may grow to 14% unless proper funding is provided." 52/

"The MoD continues to consistently pursue the development of military and social infrastructure in the Arctic. Over 360 buildings and facilities with a total area of over 413,000 sq m have been put into operation in the past two years." 53/

He said construction on the base on Alexandra Land has been completed with 334 buildings/facilities. Nagurskoye airfield's runway has been extended to 3.5km (now MiG-31 capable). The 2nd-stage facilities of the military station in Tiksi for 300 PVO servicemen was completed. 54/

"Russian military personnel have been successfully conducting operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian troops were deployed in the designated areas in a short time frame and started to carry out their tasks at 23 OPs. So far, not a single serious incident has been recorded." 55/

"The Russian peacekeepers mediated the 'all for all' swap of prisoners between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They also organized the exchange of bodies of those killed. Feeling safe, civilians started to return home and restore their houses. They are receiving support" 56/

"Since Nov 14, Russian peacekeepers ensured the return home for >42k refugees. They are also clearing land mines in Nagorno-Karabakh. Overall,>6k explosives have been rendered safe. 2 modern block-module towns for 330 people have been built in Stepanakert for peacekeepers." 57/

"The Russian force group continues to act as a guarantor of peace in Syria. In cooperation with the Turkish military, they are patrolling the main roads in the northeast of Syria. They are also closely cooperating in the Idlib de-escalation zone." 58/

"The traffic of civilian vehicles on the M-4 road in the north of Syria has been organized with the assistance of the Russian troop contingent. Since May 25, the Russian military police have escorted about 35,000 vehicles and over 66,000 people." 59/

"We are upgrading the military and social infrastructure at our bases in Syria. Shelters have been built for all combat aircraft at the Khmeimim airfield. Another nine shelters for helicopters were built this year." Barracks were also renovated at the VMF base in Tartus. 60/

Shoigu said that $380 million worth of arms contracts were signed with foreign countries at the Army 2020 defense expo, and 41 government contracts were signed with 27 defense enterprises for over 1.16 trillion rubles. 61/

"The Armed Forces have fulfilled all tasks set forth for 2020. Combat potential has increased by 13%. The level of national defense capability has been ensured as well. We have finished drafting the defense plan of the Russian Federation for 2021–2025, which you endorsed." 62/

"The implementation of the signed contracts has provided for the delivery of over 250k pieces of weapons and munitions. The implementation of state assignments on purchases has reached 99.8% and on repairs and upgrades 99.7%." 63/

"The re-equipping of the Army and scheduled repairs have allowed us to keep 95% of arms in operable condition. A total of 3,200 buildings have been put into service. Importantly, the military construction complex carried out large-scale infrastructure projects in 4-7 months." 64/

"In 2020, the total amount of capital investment transferred to customers exceeded 275 billion rubles, which is almost double 2019's figure. That way, the scale of construction-in-progress has been substantially reduced." 65/

As for the MoD's tasks for 2021, "The RVSN must receive 13 launchers with Yars and Avangard ICBMs. Using the additional allocations for the manufacture of these systems, we must reach the level of 88.3% for modern strategic nuclear forces." 66/

"We must finish construction of infrastructure for Yars and Avangard systems in Kozelsk, Yasnoye, Uzhur, Novosibirsk and Yoshkar Ola. We also need to complete the Severo-Yeniseysky proving ground for summer tests of the Sarmat ICBM and start state tests of the upgraded Tu-160"67/

"The Navy will receive two Borei-A class nuclear-powered submarines, Knyaz Vladimir and Generalissimo Suvorov, equipped with Bulava ballistic missiles." 68/

The Ground Forces, VDV, and Coastal Forces will receive receive >500 modern armored vehicles, an air defense missile brigade will be established in the Southern Military District, >100 new and upgraded aircraft will be delivered to the VKS and Naval Aviation. 69/

The Navy will receive 4 submarines, 6 surface ships, and 22 boats and supply vessels; a radar station in Vorkuta will be built and operating in trial mode; begin the construction of the Yakhroma radar station in Sevastopol; and OTH systems in Kaliningrad and Zeya. 70/

The Russian MoD also released a group of infographics to summarize some of the developments.
Share of modern equipment in the nuclear triad from 2012 to 2020:
-RVSN 42% to 81%
-Naval 46% to 89%
-Aerial 22% to 88%
-All 3 nuclear components: 37% to 86%
71/
vk.com/mil?w=wall-133…

Other branches
Entire Armed Forces: 16% to 70.1%
Ground Forces: from 15% to 55.4%
Aerospace Forces: 30% to 85.9%
Navy: 52% to 65.7%
VDV: 18% to 71.6%
-Number of long-range cruise missiles increased 37 times
-Number of long-range cruise missile carriers increased by 13 times. 72/