ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 13 (AVN) - Air Force Commander Anatoly Kornukov said on Tuesday that the aim of his visit to Rostov-on-Don was to help an air force and air defence large unit located in the North Caucasus to hold staff reduction planned for 2001 to 2003.
According to Kornukov, a working group that arrived in Rostov-on-Don should highlight all the problems connected with the Air Force reform.
About 36,000 servicemen are to be fired in the Air Force. None of them should suffer, as every soldier will be offered several variants of further service, stressed Kornukov. He did not exclude that a part of Air Force officers would continue their service in other services and branches of the Armed Forces. The Air Force has already got such experience, the commander stressed.
"Those whose term of service has expired, who have health limitations and whose working, moral and professional skills do not satisfy the command, will be fired first. As to the pilots, only those who have reached the age limit will be fired," noted Kornukov. According to him, aviation regiments will be unified and adopt a three-squadron structure with 36 to 40 aircraft in a regiment.
"First of all the reduction will concern command bodies and partially support formations. Combat units of the 4th Air Force and Air Defence army located in the North Caucasus are based in a complex area and will effectively left intact," said Kornukov.