MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax-AVN) - The gap in the pay to the Russian Armed Forces and other defense, security and law enforcement agencies needs to be removed, said General Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Main Department for Combat Training and Service of the Russian Armed Forces.
"A fine example of this gap is the permanent post in Kaspiisk, Dagestan, where a marine brigade, the federal Security Service's Border Guard Service units, and Interior Ministry troops units are stationed. A professional border guard in the military rank of private now gets 3,000 rubles more than a commander of a marine brigade. Just how fair is that?" Shamanov said at a round-table discussion addressing the training of human resources in the interests of the country's defense on Tuesday.
Shamanov stressed that "due to their low pay, the Armed Forces are virtually collecting leftovers on the law enforcement labor market."
"A lot of people who now go to serve in the army or in the fleet are so-called military guest workers, who have low professional level and weak health. We cannot put up with this situation any longer, because we cannot win any war with such military men," the general said.
Shamanov stressed the critical situation of the junior officer corps. This situation "is primarily due to their difficult financial situation, and sometimes the unbearable living conditions of their families. This situation causes junior officers to leave the army prematurely," he said.
As an example of the personnel crisis, Shamanov mentioned the situation with the peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
"In Abkhazia, eight of the 11 posts on the first line are staffed with 'two-year officers' [officers who received their rank while studying at university and have been called up for military service from the reserve for two years], and in South Ossetia, seven of eight posts are staffed with officers who have been called up from the reserve for two years," said Shamanov.
There is a need for a comprehensive approach to the social protection of officers, and payment for their service should be comparable to their combat tasks, including during wartime, Shamanov said.