MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax-AVN) - President Vladimir Putin has called for closer cooperation between the Armed Forces and police bodies in countering terrorism.
"The army and police bodies need to work more closely in the fight against terrorism," Putin said in Moscow on Tuesday.
"International terrorism is more and more becoming a factor in global politics," Putin stressed.
The Russian president said that if "our troops lack weapons and equipment that are a matter of pride of leading military powers, all the efforts to strengthen security in the country will be worthless."
Putin noted that the state needs "armed forces that will guarantee its security today, rather than tomorrow."
He said that many of the budget's defense expenditures have been disclosed for the first time this year. "This was done for the army itself and in an attempt to enable society to control military spending. This step will, of course, make the armed forces' modernization more effective," Putin said.
The president said the experiment to transfer the army to a contract basis has not been smooth, but it has been effective.
"I have already spoken twice about the assessments, the armed forces' personnel policy and on ways to select commanders and raise their responsibility. I have touched upon the absence of rotation between the central department and military units. The Defense Ministry has drawn appropriate conclusions from this," Putin stressed.
The president also called for a strong crackdown on hazing in the army and to take steps to prevent crimes among the military.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov took the floor following the president's speech.