Large-scale changes in the composition of the armed forces will be carried out in 2023-2026Moscow.
January 17th. INTERFAX - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on increasing the size of the Armed Forces to 1.5 million troops as part of his work in the joint Special Military Operation (SVO), the Russian military department reported on Tuesday.
"The President of the Russian Federation has made a decision to increase the number of Armed Forces to 1.5 million military personnel. Guaranteed to ensure the military security of the state, to protect new subjects and critical facilities of the Russian Federation is possible only by strengthening the key structural components of the Armed Forces: to create two new interspecific strategic territorial associations of the Armed Forces - the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, as well as self-sufficient groups of troops (forces) in the territories of the new subjects of the Russian Federation," Shoigu said at the meeting.
He specified that it is necessary "to form an army corps in the Republic of Karelia, three motorized rifle divisions as part of the Ground Forces and two airborne assault divisions in the Airborne Troops, to reorganize seven motorized rifle brigades in the Western, Central, Eastern Military Districts and the Northern Fleet into motorized rifle divisions."
Also, according to him, the combat component of the Navy, Aerospace Forces and Strategic Missile Forces will be strengthened.
"Large-scale changes in the composition of the Armed Forces, an increase in their number, a change in the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation, which will be carried out during 2023-2026, will require all deputy Defense Ministers, commanders-in-chief (types of Armed Forces), commanders (troops of military districts, the Northern Fleet and branches of the Armed Forces) to adopt appropriate competent decisions," the minister said.
According to him, "special attention should be paid to the recruitment of troops (forces) by military personnel under a contract, to ensure the timely supply of air force and other materiel to associations, formations and military units."
It is also necessary to "increase the number of polygons in military districts and in the territories of the new subjects of the Russian Federation, organize their training to ensure the practical actions of troops (forces), determine the volume of training of cadets and trainees in universities of the Ministry of Defense," Shoigu said.
In addition, it is necessary to "increase the volume of training specialists in the training centers of the Armed Forces in accordance with the increased need of troops (forces) by increasing the capacity of existing training centers and creating new ones, to provide for the entire range of measures budget allocations in the right amount," the minister said.
Shoigu "particularly drew attention to the fact that all measures should be combined into a Comprehensive plan for increasing the composition and strength of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and synchronized with the delivery dates for the State Defense Order of weapons, military and special equipment and materiel, the construction of infrastructure for the deployment of troops (forces) and provided with appropriate resources", it is said in the message.
