MOSCOW. Sept 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's military doctrine, adopted in 2010, must be adjusted quietly and without too much haste in defining the potential enemy, Vice Chairman of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Council Alexander Kanshin told Interfax-AVN.
"I don't agree with those lawmakers and military experts who want to name our potential enemy by all means in the main defense document, to do some saber-rattling and to whip up the situation, already tense due to the crisis in Ukraine. This would be counterproductive," said Kanshin, who is also president of the International Consultative Committee of Retired Officers and the Reserve.
He said the current military doctrine clearly defines Russia's position that national security must be guaranteed on the basis of the constitution, international treaties on defense and on arms and disarmament control, and other regulatory documents.
"An adjusted edition of the military strategy must reflect, in the first place, our country's adherence to political, diplomatic, legal and other instruments of defending the national interests. Concerning saber-rattling, we went through an arms race in the Soviet era and we know too well what the end result was - the Soviet Union's breakup," Kanshin said.
"The armed forces are a military instrument used to defend the state and must be handled with care and exclusively on the basis of international law," he said.
"In other words, we must not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world by scaring ourselves and others with claims that Russia is in the enemy's grip. Just the opposite. We must take steps towards international integration and stronger international ties, including in the military and military-technical spheres," Kanshin said.
In a military doctrine, the main accent must be put on a clearly formulated foreign policy aimed at guaranteeing the state' military security, he said.
"Despite an uneasy military-political situation surrounding Russia as the armed conflict in Ukraine is continuing, an adjusted military doctrine must clearly lay down our peaceful policy and Russia's adherence to international law, including international agreements on defense," he said
The Russian Defense Ministry's Public Council will meet in late December to discuss adjustments to the 2010 Military Doctrine, Kanshin said.