Putin: Russian Armed Forces Must Outclass Any Opponent Technically

20.02.2012 Russian armed forces must acquire technical dominance over any opponent within the next decade, said Russian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin.

"We have launched large-scale rearmament of our armed forces and other security authorities. Our priorities are nuclear force, airspace force, communication and intelligence systems, electronic warfare, UAVs and robotic strike systems, up-to-date transport aviation, individual battlefield protection systems, high-precision weapons and its countermeasures", Putin wrote in his election program published on Feb 20 by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"Training system of military administration agencies and troops must become high-grade, intensive, and all-around. Main efforts will be concentrated on 'building' of effective inter-branch task forces and increasing of combat readiness level", pointed out Putin.

"Our experts will have to determine development ideology for all branches of armed forces and clarify their missions in conceptual documents. But obviously, role and significance of nuclear deterrence force will be preserved", wrote the premier.

"At least, until we acquire other types of weapons, new-generation strike systems. Among them are high-precision weapons, like I said above, capable to accomplish missions comparable with those assigned today to nuclear deterrence force. In addition, importance of Navy, Air Force, and Airspace Defense will be increased in the next few years", stressed the head or the Russian Government.