MOSCOW, September 4 (AVN) - The Russian General Staff reattached the Military Space Forces, a competent source in the Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency.
The headquarters and units of the forces, that were subordinated to Army General Vladimir Yakovlev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF), are to be directly controlled by the General Staff in accordance with the order issued by Chief-of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin.
According to the source, the reattachment is the first stage towards the realisation of the concept envisaging military development till 2016 submitted by Kvashnin to the Defence Ministry board session on July 12 and approved by the Security Council on August 11 with several changes. The reform will result in transforming the Armed Forces into three service structures (land, air - space, sea), the source said.
As a result of the reform envisaged by the president's decree of July 16, 1997 'Concerning the High-Priority Measures to Reform the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and Optimise their Structure', there will be three services - Land Forces, Navy and Air Force, which will include the SMF in perspective, he added.