MOSCOW. March 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Special-purpose teams of the Russian Interior Ministry Force will consist of three components - a ground-based one, a naval one, and an aerial one - in the future, commander of the force Army General Vyacheslav Tikhomirov said on Thursday.
"The ground-based component will comprise special-purpose military units, reconnaissance units, operational purpose units, sapper and artillery units, which will be assigned to special- purpose teams," Tikhomirov told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The core of the aerial component will consist of an air scout squadron. Aviation units or single aircraft will possibly be assigned to it.
The third component will comprise diving sections of naval units and assigned vessels, Tikhomirov said.
The year of 2003 "was crucial in establishment of special- purpose teams as an independent component of the Interior Ministry Force, which is a separate sphere of combating the terrorist threat," the commander said. "For Russia the threat is mostly internal and related to the Chechnya war. Everybody, including the country's leaders, have understood long ago that special-purpose teams of the Interior Ministry Force are well trained and capable of accomplishing assigned missions independently," he noted.
The commander recalled that six more special-purpose teams were set up in various Russian regions last year in accordance with the Interior Ministry Force development concept. "Taking into account the teams that already existed, we got quite a mobile special-purpose grouping within the Interior Ministry Force," he said.
"These units are combating terrorists and bandits not only in combat areas, but also in their permanent stationing areas. I believe that our special-purpose men will be in demand there for joint actions with law-enforcement agencies," Tikhomirov said.
Colonel General Nikolai Rogozhkin, chief-of-staff of the Interior Ministry Force, earlier told Interfax-AVN while speaking on establishment of the special-purpose teams that their total strength will amount to about 10,000 people.
There are a total of 16 mobile special-purpose teams in the Interior Ministry Force. They are fully equipped with up-to-date armament and military hardware. "In addition to heavy hardware, all mobile special-purpose teams are fitted with special-purpose hardware and protection assets," Rogozhkin said.