MOSCOW. Jan 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has spoken in favor of better coordination of all components of the system of national defense.
The organization of such coordination is among the main objectives of the Defense Ministry, says Ivanov's statement, which is posted on the Russian government website.
"The ultimate goal is to create an effective military organization of the state, which will have a rational structure, composition and size, and which will not overlap other ministries and agencies in terms of ensuring Russia's military security," Ivanov said.
The main mission of the Armed Forces for 2004 is to contain military and political threats to national security and to ensure protection of its economic and political interests, the statement reads. "This is the goal towards which we will work in the framework of the army and navy development concept passed on October 2 last year at a conference involving the nation's top military and political leaders and the higher command of the Armed Forces," Ivanov said.
Implementation of the federal program of transition to professional service for 2004 to 2007 will start this year. Under the program, 15,700 people will be selected for contracted service as enlisted men with the Russian Armed Forces in 2004, expenses mounting up to RUB9.7bn (USD333.1m).
"All military branches and arms of service of the Armed Forces, especially permanent-readiness units, have been assigned the mission to continue scaling up operational and combat training. It will be conducted taking into account new tendencies in the nature of armed combat and ways of troops actions, operational missions of military groupings, and peculiarities of possible theaters of operations and possible enemies," the statement reads.
"Implementation of the plan of transition to the Joint Unified Logistics System will continue in the Armed Forces and other military formations," Ivanov said.
According to him, improvement of the military education system in compliance with the federal program of the system's reform for the period until 2010 remains a priority. In particular, the Defense Ministry is planning to give back traditional names to its military educational establishments.
Among other priorities are measures aimed at improving the social, economic and legal situation of servicemen and their family members. "We link solution of the housing problem to the creation of the service housing fund and transition to the consolidating system of housing provision to servicemen," Ivanov noted.