MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax-AVN) - Up to 2008 the Russian Interior Ministry Force plans to man the 46th operative brigade and four SOp detachments with professionals, a competent source in the Interior Ministry Force Command told Interfax-Military News Agency Thursday.
"By 2005 the Interior Ministry Force plans to man with professionals the 46th detached operative brigade deployed in Chechnya, and in 2006 to 2007 four SOp detachments," he said.
According to the source, by 2004 the reconnaissance and SOp forces will have 50 percent and operative forces 25 percent of professionals.
The source said that the Interior Ministry Force already has fully professional units assigned security support of important state objects.
"These men, especially those serving in "trouble spots", are paid in accordance with their missions and workload. There are special coefficients for that (relative to routine salaries assigned to the corresponding military grades and positions - Interfax-AVN). Only after the personnel is more or less reluctant to resign can we begin transferring other units to voluntary manning," the source said.
The source recalled that the numerical strength of the Interior Ministry Force was to be reduced by 20,000 personnel into about 170,000 by January 1, 2006.
At the same time, the source said, the scheduled reduction of the Force is complicated by the fact that other state authorities are reluctant to carry the burden of security service on some state sites being taken out of the Interior Ministry Force's coverage.
"One of the causes is underfunding of state authorities who cannot put up security service via professional security; moreover, the authorities are reluctant to take (the responsibility - Interfax-AVN) due to higher terrorist threat," he also said.
Another pressing problem, he went on, is the accommodation of personnel, especially in units assigned security service on priority sites. "The administration of the sites does not fulfil their responsibility to accommodate the personnel allegedly because there is no legal mechanism through which these sites could fund that. The total accommodation debt of the sites to the security personnel is above 180,000 dwelling square meters (in Russia the dwelling houses are measured by the overall-to- dwelling area ratio - Interfax-AVN)," the source said in conclusion.