MOSCOW. Feb 2 (Interfax-AVN) - Low birth rate in Russia badly affects implementation of the federal purpose-oriented program of transition to professional service, a source in the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"Full abolition of conscription is impossible, because of a law birth rate in Russia among other reasons. The unfavorable demographic situation in the country already creates additional difficulties in transition to a contracted army," the source said.
"Low birth rate is among the major internal global threats to Russia," he stressed.
About 145 million people are living in Russia at present, while an average global population rate for a territory of such scale amounts to 1.5 to three billion people, the source noted.
"According to statistics, an average Russian family has 1.25 children. If current demographic tendencies continue to prevail, Russian population will nearly halve after just one generation," he said.
"In addition, over 70 percent of the 145 million Russians live in the European part of the country. At the same time, natural riches of both Russia and the entire world will be mainly concentrated beyond the Ural mountains in the second half of the 21st century," the source stressed.
"A vacuum of population creates additional prerequisites for a potential rise in tensions in this region, given such a concentration of global-scale riches," he said.
Speaking about implementation of the state purpose-oriented program of transition to professional service, the source noted that 55 percent of servicemen are professional. This figure includes officers and warrant officers, who are, in fact, professionals.
"As to privates and sergeants, about 20 percent of them are contracted already. The number of professionals among privates and sergeants is to be brought up to 50 percent. After that it will be possible to reduce active-duty service terms. But conscription will not be abolished completely even in the future," the source said.