Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov conducted another extramural collegium Wednesday, this time in Khabarovsk. Serdyukov and company congratulated themselves for completing the ‘large-scale work’ of forming the Eastern Military District (VVO or ВВО), and the other three new districts, ahead of schedule. This reshuffling was done in less than a year, so it probably really doesn’t count as ‘large-scale work.’
General Staff Chief Nikolay Makarov reported the VVO has operated since 1 October. For his part, Serdyukov noted:
“The Eastern Military District is the largest in combat composition, area, and length of ground and maritime borders.”
The VVO sports the Pacific Fleet, an air and air defense army, and four combined arms armies, leading the Defense Minister to conclude:
“Unifying all forces and means under a single commander allowed for a substantial increase in the combat possibilities and potential of the district.”
Possibly, yes, but it remains to be realized and proven . . . since the very same forces have just been aggregated in a new way. Is this new whole more than the sum of its parts, or not?
Attendees discussed unified logistics as well as unified combat forces. Reports said along with unified commands a unified system of material-technical support (MTO) is being established in the military districts. As previously reported, it is supposed to unite arms supply and logistics in one function and organization.
At any rate, the collegium had new or semi-new business as well . . .
Serdyukov, Makarov, and other attendees also discussed Defense Ministry outsourcing.
Before the meeting, Makarov told wire services the issue of delimiting spheres of activity between the military department and outside organizations that will provide support functions for servicemen and military towns, including heating, electricity, and food service, would be discussed. According to Rossiyskaya gazeta, Makarov said:
“We need to clearly determine the bounds within which structures should work to support the everyday life of military bodies.”
Speaking like an old-hand, Makarov said the outsourcing system will take care of noncore tasks like feeding the troops and providing utilities to military towns. The Defense Ministry’s board of directors discussed transferring responsibilities and corresponding property to these contractors. Are they going to operate or own these assets?
RG reminded readers 340,000 troops are supposed to be fed by civilian firms by year’s end. They include students in cadet corps, Suvorov schools, military VUZy, and patients in Defense Ministry hospitals. The paper said outsourced food service would be coming soon to permanent readiness units. And laundry services, part of military transportation, and equipment supply, including aviation, POL, and support for all deployed Navy ships, will be outsourced.
Finally, Army General Makarov said the collegium discussed in detail the issue of replacing or scrapping worn out equipment. According to RIA Novosti, Makarov indicated there’ll be a major inventory and weeding out of what’s usable and what isn’t:
“In the course of 2011, everything that’s inoperable, particularly, in the aviation and ship inventory, we will manage to restore and put back on the line. That which has outlived its time according to its parameters should be withdrawn from service. This is quite a solid sum which could be redirected to acquiring new types of equipment and armaments.”
Not sure how much they make on this scrap sale. Not so long ago the Defense Ministry said it was cutting repairs (as well as RDT&E) to focus more money on buying new systems.
Russian Defense Policy 