The Minister of Defence has reported on the results of a surprise inspection of the combat readiness of the armed forces in the Eastern and Central Military Districts.
Sergei Shoigu said that following the unannounced inspection, proposals will be made regarding changes to the structure and disposition of the Air Force units, as it has been revealed that the enlargement of air bases carried out some time ago does not comply with the current national security requirements. According to the Defence Minister, a decision was taken to expand the network of airports and a directive will be signed on the considerable increase in the number of firing drills.
The changes also concern the recruitment process. The Minister announced that the current programme, which is expected to provide training to 425,000 contract soldiers until 2017, may be reviewed. Mr Shoigu stressed that there are no plans to cancel the transition to a contract military service. He added that the list of posts available for contract personnel will be approved before the year is out.
The Minister also covered improved conditions of the military service. The recent initiatives of the military authorities and innovations in the armed forces have had a positive effect on the public image of the military service. Shower stalls in barracks, buffet-style catering and new uniforms are some of the improvements that, as has been observed, have resulted in an 18% decrease in the number of conscripts avoiding recruitment in the spring draft call, which amounts to nearly 30,000 people.
Source: Defence Ministry
