MOSCOW. Jan 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Land Forces Commander Nikolai Kormiltsev has said he is not satisfied with the combat readiness level of his armed service.
Having visited several military districts and having analyzed results of an inspection of the Moscow military district, Kormiltsev came to the conclusion that training results were poor. "Combat training is on the satisfactory level only, and there are many problems with the mobilization readiness," Kormiltsev said in an interview with the Vek weekly published on Friday.
Kormiltsev criticized the share of budget allocations provided to the Land Forces. This armed service is to get 28 percent of allocations in accordance with the 2002 military budget. "The Land Forces account for about 40 percent of the strength of the Armed Forces, and they need 40 to 50 percent of the general military budget, as the main stress will be laid on the development of general-purpose forces," the commander said.
The Land Forces have not purchased armament of new types for a long time and will not be able to do it before 2010, Kormiltsev stressed. However the armament renovation problem can be solved through modernization in that period, he said. "The current Russian military assets are not inferior to the world's best weapons as far as armament and control systems, armor, maneuverability and reliability are concerned," the commander said. Besides, the Russian arms have a huge modernization potential.