VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“The unification of systems currently used remains a pressing task. At the same time, further efforts should be made to improve their combat performance. Careful attention must be paid to the development and mass production of aircraft engines, and to improving the quality of structural materials and electronic chips.”
“The Armed Forces should be equipped with at least 30% modern weaponry by 2015 and at least 70% by 2020. To implement this task, we need to stipulate the relevant allocations. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development have completed calculations, and today we will analyse them. I would like to add that we will not permit excessive or inefficient spending.”
“In accordance with the plan for the development and reform of the Armed Forces, the focus will be on the nuclear deterrence forces and aerospace defence. As I have said, we should supply these forces with cutting-edge communications, control, command and reconnaissance systems, and also complete the fifth-generation aircraft programme and the provision of new warships for the Navy.”
“Trade in arms and special equipment is both a business and an important foreign policy tool. Our approach to trade is carefully weighed. All our work in this area fully meets the obligations Russia has assumed under international agreements. So we should continue our work in the same vein.”
“We increased our sales from $3.7 billion in 2000 to $8.6 billion last year. This means that by engaging in foreign economic trade we have preserved a large number of jobs and contributed considerable resources to the defence sector and, therefore, to its modernisation and development. Today we are cooperating with 85 countries round the world. I hope this is not all that our weapon makers are capable of. We are capable of moving further, to new and promising markets.”
"It is not by pure chance that we have made the development of command, communications and reconnaissance systems one of the priorities of our defence programme, with considerable budget appropriations planned for these purposes. I would like to stress that we need to modernise existing units and systems fundamentally. We must admit that they have become obsolete, with their technological and technical conditions often leaving much to be desired. This is why our short-term objective is to provide the armed forces with new-generation equipment, making a big step forward. I want you to be guided by this objective".
“The state provided significant support to defence companies during the challenging economic situation. As for Energomash, we decided to allocate two billion roubles from the budget to boost the association's share capital. <…> We will increase this allocation to 2.25 billion roubles for the construction of the block of flats. Experts estimate that the cost of building the block of flats will amount to 240 to 250 million roubles.”
"We are trying to consolidate the required assets. Today I signed another executive order, this time allocating 6.5 billion roubles to increase Oboronprom's charter capital so that it can acquire controlling interests in the assets of our leading companies, which in this case means companies in the helicopter and motor industries. Another 2.5 billion roubles have been allocated for them for the same purpose next year. I am referring to the companies in Ufa, Lyubertsy and St Petersburg."
"We should develop long-term re-equipment programmes and adjust them to the objectives of the Armed Forces. And within these programmes, the defence industry should approve plans for modernisation, technological development, research and design, and the serial production of military equipment for the Armed Forces."
"We have held several meetings to discuss the situation in the defence industry lately. We will continue to work on this issue. But it is clear for now that we should not only increase funding. Funding is, of course, very important, but it cannot not solve all the problems. We must significantly increase the quality of the hardware we produce, improve production chains and provide personnel for the defence industry."
"Today we will discuss 2010 defence spending, which has reached more than 1.17 trillion roubles, 8% more than in 2009. Defence spending has been increased considerably to support defence companies and related industries. But the most important thing is to accomplish our strategic objective: reforming the Russian Army and the Navy, improving their combat readiness and mobility."
“One more priority is to upgrade domestically sourced production. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with our shipbuilders using foreign technology and components. But we realize full well that in perspective we must develop a modern domestic industry to develop components, which would allow us to fill orders for related industries.”
“We must make similar breakthroughs in military shipbuilding. It is absolutely necessary to develop a long-term programme as soon as possible. It should meet the Navy's requirements and include current objectives based on 30-year forecasts. This is our minimum programme. a meeting on providing the Navy with new weapons and military hardware at the Admiralty Shipyards.”
"We often say that the Russian Armed Forces must become more compact, mobile and combat-effective and that the proportion of modern hardware in the equipment mix should be brought to 70% by 2020. This fully applies to the Navy, whose provision with new equipment we will discuss today."
“As the military transitions to its new, modern structure, it needs to be divested of its so-called non-core assets, or in the case of the Armed Forces, its non-core activities. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a system for maintaining armour and automotive equipment at the manufacturer's plants. Maintaining separate auto services and tank repair plants is an unjustified and inexcusable extravagance in today's conditions. What is more, experts from the plants where the hardware is produced are better qualified to do this work. And they will receive additional funding.”
“The development of such modern and robust hardware directly depends on the unity and clarity of scientific and technical policies. Therefore, as soon as possible we need to consolidate the results of scientific research and design work, identify the most promising solutions and come up with a unified plan for future design work. I mean engines, weapons, ammunition, observation and aiming devices, as well as automated control systems.”
“The main goal of the defence industry is to supply our own military. Today we need to look to the future and keep in mind that science and technology for defence needs are developing at a rapid pace all over the world. And in the modern world, tanks and other armour, as before, remain one of the main components of any military. The manoeuvrability of forces is achieved primarily by reliable military vehicles.
"We are conducting a sector-by-sector analysis of it - including conventional weapons, rocket and space technology, the navy, anti-aircraft defence and so on. And there are lots of problems associated with the need to modernise our leading companies, because we cannot use 1950s-era equipment to produce modern weapons for our defence capacity. All of these issues are resolvable. We're resolving them and will continue to resolve them."
"As for weapons purchases and sales, we are No. 2 in the world in terms of volume of sales to foreign markets, and of course, we don't need to buy weapons from abroad to provide for our defence capacity."
“Next year state defence orders will be boosted considerably, specifically to 1.75 trillion roubles. We hope that this decision will not only allow us to begin the upcoming modernisation of the defence industry, but will also provide significant support to related companies and encourage the introduction of high technologies and the manufacture of cutting-edge materials and components. This will result in a considerable increase in the efficiency of the rocket and space industry. All the more so, because in 2010, defence companies are to supply over 30 ground-based and sea-based ballistic missiles and 11 space shuttles to the Armed Forces.”
