Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, held a meeting on increasing the number of Armed Forces to 1.5 million military personnel as part of his work in the joint Special Military Operation (SVO). The meeting was attended by Deputy Defense Ministers, Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia, and commanders on the implementation of the decision of the President of the Russian Federation.
As follows from the Russian official portal of legal information, on August 25, 2022, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed the Decree No. 575 “On establishing the regular capacity of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”, which determined the number of the Armed Forces of Russia as 2,039,758 people, including 1,150,628 military personnel.
“The President of the Russian Federation has made a decision to increase the number of Armed Forces to 1.5 million servicemen. Guaranteed to ensure the military security of the state, to protect new subjects and critical facilities of the Russian Federation is possible only by strengthening the key structural components of the Armed Forces – to create two new interspecific strategic territorial associations of the Armed Forces: the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, as well as self-sufficient groups of troops in the territories of the new subjects of the Russian Federation,” Shoigu said at the meeting.
He specified that it is also necessary “to form an army corps in the Republic of Karelia, three motorized rifle divisions as part of the Ground Forces and two airborne assault divisions in the Airborne Troops, to reorganize seven motorized rifle brigades in the Western, Central, Eastern Military Districts, and the Northern Fleet into motorized rifle divisions.”
Also, according to him, the combat component of the Navy, Aerospace Forces, and Strategic Missile Forces will be strengthened.
“Large-scale changes in the composition of the Armed Forces, an increase in their number, a change in the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation, which will be carried out during 2023-2026, will require all deputy Defense Ministers, commanders-in-chief, commanders to adopt appropriate competent decisions,” the Minister said.
According to him, special attention should be paid to the recruitment of troops by military personnel under a contract, to ensure the timely supply of weapons, military and special equipment and other material to associations, formations, and military units.
It is also necessary to “increase the number of training grounds in military districts and in the territories of the new subjects of the Russian Federation, organize their training to ensure the practical actions of troops, determine the volume of training of cadets and trainees in universities of the Ministry of Defense,” Shoigu noted.
Shoigu drew attention to the fact that all measures should be combined into a Comprehensive plan to increase the composition and strength of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and synchronized with the delivery dates for the state defense order of weapons, military and special equipment and material, the construction of infrastructure for the deployment of troops and provided with appropriate resources.
Ru-Main, 17.01.2023
Source: Interfax
