The Death Of Russia's Military Complex -- A Commentary

Russian military tanks drive on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow May 9, 2008. [Xinhua]

One Way To Disarm -- Alexander Golts, Moscow Times

A distinctive feature of the Russian power vertical is that leaders do not bother determining what government officials have already said on a particular subject before preparing their own remarks. At a meeting on security agency budgets on May 24, President Dmitry Medvedev set the goal of modernizing at least 30 percent of Russia’s weaponry by 2015. The president was apparently unaware of the previous arms program, announced by then-Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov three years ago. In 2007, Ivanov told State Duma deputies that the program would rearm 45 percent of the military by 2015. It failed miserably.

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My Comment: This commentary from Alexander Golts at the Moscow Times hits it on the nose .... especially when I reflect on how such changes have impacted on my own family in Russia. I have two uncles who served (in a military capacity) under the old Soviet Union and later Russia. One was a general who was responsible for a part of Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation from 1980 to 1988 (he was there for the last two years), and another uncle who was a Director for one of the many Soviet and later Russian organizations that were responsible for developing and manufacturing communication satellites for the military. My uncle who was a Director provides the most revealing expose on how the Russian military complex has changed over the years.

When he was young, he and many of his fellow engineers and technicians believed that they had a calling, and that was to protect the Soviet Union. Their motivation came from a sense of national pride and duty. But when the Soviet Union fell apart .... that all changed. I will never forget the day when he brought me to his old plant where such satellites were once developed and tested. What I saw was an old and decrepit building being demolished to make way for a shopping mall. Apparently the money that was allocated to modernize and equip his facility simply disappeared, and people like my uncle were left unemployed and no where to go.

That was a few years ago, and what I have learned since then is that the corruption and incompetence has gotten even worse. Russia has many military programs that are active and they do deliver product .... but this is the exception rather than the rule. The T-50 is a success story .... so far. The S-400 is also a success story ... but it seems that they have trouble manufacturing a significant number of them. Even Russia's Kalashnikov manufacturer declared bankruptcy a few years ago .... shocking everyone on how this could have happened .... but these things are happening.

Until Russia develops a system of laws and regulations coupled with accountability and responsibility .... it will never solve these corruption problems. And the military .... once the pride of Russia and one of the most advanced in the world .... it will only suffer and get worse with time.