Vasiliy Burenok
Vasiliy Burenok told a round table at the ‘Army and Society’ exhibition in Moscow Friday that the current pace of Russian force modernization, not more than 2 percent, won’t support the transition to a ‘new profile’ military.
Burenok is Director of the Defense Ministry’s 46th Scientific-Research Institute (46 NII). The 46 NII is a lead organization involved in formulating the State Armaments Program (GPV) and State Defense Order (GOZ). It works on military-technical policy documents and program planning methodologies. Burenok is a member of the Scientific-Technical Council of the RF Government’s Military-Industrial Commission (VPK).
Reviewing history a bit, Burenok told his audience, at the beginning of the 1990s, the rearmament rate was 5-7 percent annually. But, between 1991 and 2000, financing for new arms and equipment declined more than 50 times, leaving only enough money to maintain existing weapons.
Burenok concludes to get the army to the ‘new profile’ it’s essential to introduce 9 percent new equipment every year, and for some services and combat arms, up to 11 percent.
This 9 to 11 percent is, of course, the difficult target President Medvedev set at the Defense Ministry Collegium. Burenok indicated just how difficult–going from less than 2 to an 11 percent annual renewal rate.
Armaments Chief and Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin also addressed the ‘Army and Society’ round table. He said GPV 2011-2020 will go to the president for approval in June. The new GPV will be accompanied by yet another new Federal Targeted Program for OPK Development.
Popovkin said a number of systems won’t be produced under the new GPV. They include short-range tube artillery, and BTR-80, BMP-2, and BMP-3 combat vehicles that soldiers are afraid to ride in.
Russian Defense Policy 