“And finally all kinds of social benefits. Indeed, the Ministry of Defence proposed and jointly with the Ministry of Finance they did a very meticulous work not to abolish benefits but to put them in order. Well, it sounds like a threat, of course. But what does it mean, putting in order? <…> The amount of benefits does decrease a little in monetary terms <…>, but the salary will increase by 150-200%. For example, a captain, a battalion commander, will see his salary increase from its current 17,600 roubles a month to 66,000 roubles a month. That is a substantial difference.”
“We will index all incomes of servicemen and military pensioners according to inflation, and inflation will not eat up these incomes. We have taken such decision, I think it is even reflected in the law. If it is reflected in the law, any government will have to fulfill it, so the first threat, inflation, is countered with this.”
“The nature of the military and law enforcement service is such that people that have the right to retire are often still fairly young and active – they are in their prime, so to speak. Our task is to help them to get on their feet as civilians, to find a job, and not just any job, but an interesting job with good pay that is in line with their training.”
“As I said, the amount of military pensions should be determined by the recipient’s service record and by his or her contribution to the enhancement of Russia’s capabilities, defence or otherwise. Both military allowances and pensions will be raised starting on January 1, 2012, as part of a welfare reform in the armed forces. I’d like to emphasise that the reform will apply to all military pensioners, regardless of their institutional affiliation. <…> The planned raise will be a considerable one – no less than 50%. Necessary funds have been earmarked in the federal budgets for 2012 and subsequent years. Modern-day Russia has never seen such a large-scale military pension raise before.”
“One of our priorities is to establish a strong basis for innovation in the defence industry. For this reason, we intend to spend some 20% of the funding on research and development.”
“If we want to produce the advanced weapons needed in modern combat operations and ensure that this high level is maintained in the long term, we must consider a modernisation of the defence industry as a whole. We can rely on our strong foundation and our personnel. The weapons produced in our country must be advanced and fully appropriate for our long-term objectives.”
“The industry must be upgraded to produce advanced equipment and weapons that meet the demands of the armed forces in terms of quality and, of course, the price. The Federal Targeted Programme for Russian Defence Industry Development to 2020 is a key instrument to achieve these objectives.”
“In the next five to ten years we must almost completely re-equip our army and navy. We will involve not only our defence enterprises but also our civilian industrial and engineering companies in this effort. I see the increased State Defence Order (SDO) to be a major instrument for upgrading our industrial defence complex and the rest of the national economy.”
“As you know, in addition to the approved armament programme, there is a ‘trillion programme’ – not one trillion but three trillion [roubles] have been invested in the upgrade of the defence industry in order to ensure the security and sovereignty of our motherland for years to come. In the next ten years, we will almost completely re-equip our armed forces. The defence industry received full support from the government in difficult economic times, and it was absolutely the correct decision for the long-term interests of our country.”
“We have so much to show you. This is the first time the forum is displaying pre-production samples of nearly every type of military equipment, not only ground-based weapons. Some of the latest equipment that is very interesting from the technical point of view is on display here. <…> This equipment is a source of pride for Russia and visible proof of our defence industry’s enormous potential – in terms of research, personnel and production.”
“Domestic production is a distinct priority in the supply of weapons to the Russian armed forces. At the same time, this equipment must be cutting edge, advanced and affordable. I would like to stress that it must be affordable for the customer and for the Ministry of Defence, which means it must be affordable for the government.”
“In 2011, an unprecedented amount of funding was allocated towards the purchase and modernisation of equipment, arms, research and development in defence. In modern Russia, we have never set aside this kind of money before: 750 billion roubles in one year! <…>The government expects that this huge sum will be used efficiently in order to improve the performance of the organisations involved in the defence industry and state procurement.”
“We should primarily concentrate on the needs of our armed forces. I mean, it is not the fact that a company exists that is important. It is important that this company produces goods and services that meet modern standards – in the civilian sectors. In the defence sector, it is important that companies supply equipment that would meet the armed forces’ needs and help the country feel confident in the event of any conflict – local or international.”
"Our goal is to execute a comprehensive modernisation of the armed forces. Rather than just equipping a select group of individuals, we need to build a truly efficient and integrated military – in the army, in the navy, and in the air force".
“We need to modernise the defence industry; introduce new technology; attract efficient managers, engineers, and workers; and create strong production facilities that can manufacture quality machinery and equipment on the contract schedule and at a fair and economically justified price.”
“In the Navy, arms are to be renewed and strengthened; a strategic marine nuclear squad is to be formed from fourth-generation nuclear subs; modern surface vessels are to be purchased; and the operational hardware is to be repaired and upgraded. To be able to cope with the challenges of enhancing the country's defence capacity, the Navy must be developed in a level fashion, including the development of strategic nuclear forces alongside general-purpose naval forces.”
“We intend to buy only new, state-of-the-art equipment and not what was designed twenty or even thirty years ago. For this purpose, we made a full inventory of the military industrial complex and specified basic requirements for military production. Of course, we should draft our rearmament plans with regard to the current economic situation and our budget. So, the Ministry of Defence and other state clients of the rearmament programme were asked to prepare detailed calculations and justification for the amount of necessary budget spending for 2011 and the following years.”
“An analysis of the current trends shows that, along with high-precision weapons, aviation, anti-aircraft defence and reconnaissance systems, the world's leading countries are focusing on increasing the capabilities of each individual soldier. Forward-looking combat systems are being developed for infantry. Personal armour is being made more reliable, while small arms ammunition, sights, and detection and reconnaissance systems are becoming more sophisticated. All of this is crucial, especially in special operations, including counterterrorism. I would like to emphasise that our defence industry is currently capable of developing and manufacturing a full range of small arms and close combat weapons”.
"Our main objective must be the radical modernisation of defence production facilities. New Armed Forces are impossible without a new defence industry. We must do everything in our power to eliminate the dangerous disparity between the technological capacity of defence companies and the needs of the Armed Forces, increasing both production quality and volume."
“Fundamental changes are taking place in terms of our armed forces' equipment. During 2008-2009, long-term contracts were concluded for the supply of 130 warplanes. In the current year 2010, 27 aircraft, more than 50 helicopters and five battalions of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems will be purchased by the army. As you see, we are talking about high-volume supplies. Altogether, as laid down in the state armaments programme for the next 10 years, troops are to take delivery of over 1,500 new fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and something like 200 surface-to-air missile systems. As a result, no less than 80% of the air force's aviation equipment will be up-to-date and no less than 75% of its air defence systems will be new, which means a several-fold rise in our armed forces' combat capabilities.”