MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) - By the end of 2014 the Russian Armed Forces will be manned to 95-100%, Russian Armed Forces' Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said.
"At the same time the numbers of servicemen doing the military service under contract as warrant officers, soldiers, sergeants, sailors and sergeant majors, will increase to 241,000 people. Sixteen Airborne Troops battalions and 17 marine battalions will be fully manned with contract-based servicemen," Gerasimov said at a Russian Defense Ministry collegium Tuesday session titled "On the progress of the Russian Defense Ministry plan to 2020."
Furthermore, all sergeant jobs are to be manned with this category of servicemen, he added.
By the end of 2014, modern weaponry and military hardware in the Armed Forces will account for 26%, while the share of weaponry in good working order, used on military and special hardware of the Ground Troops, the Air Force and the Navy, will go up to 90%, 75% and 70%, respectively, the chief of staff also said.
"As part of efforts to improve our military-scientific complex four new scientific-research organizations will be formed whose work will aim to address the future challenges in the interests of providing military security for the Russian Federation," Gerasimov said.