Putin with Shoygu and Gerasimov
Today President Putin retired Chief of the General Staff Nikolay Makarov. An old hand, currently Commander of the Central MD, General-Colonel Valeriy Gerasimov replaces him. Putin also dropped First Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Sukhorukov (who’d had responsibility for armaments). Western MD Commander Arkadiy Bakhin replaces Sukhorukov. Aerospace Defense Troops Commander, General-Colonel Oleg Ostapenko also becomes a deputy defense minister. Here’s the ukaz on the appointments, and on the dismissals.
Meeting with Gerasimov and Shoygu, Putin told the new NGSh he’s concerned by constantly changing Defense Ministry requirements on industry, and looks to him, and to the new defense minister, to “build a good, stable working partnership with our leading defense industrial enterprises.”
Serdyukov didn’t have one. Perhaps all is not sweetness and light with the defense order in 2012.
Russian Defense Policy 
I’ve seen some contradictory news on Sukhorukov’s replacement. Is it Bakhin or Borisov? They’re both going to be 1st deputies, but which one will be in charge of armaments?
Hi Dima, haven’t looked real close on this end, but it seems Bakhin is the first deputy with the training portfolio. Borisov’s a deputy with the armaments job. They just dropped armaments down a notch from where it had been. They can’t both be first deputies because the NGSh’s one too (unless they decide three aren’t too many). Regards.