18.02.2010
General of the Army Nikolai Makarov, Chief of General Staff does not consider relocation of Navy HQ to St. Petersburg will negatively affect Navy command and control system. He stated that yesterday at the conference associated with military reformations.
According to commander, "this relocation won't bring any extra charge to Navy command".
"Quite the reverse, we want naval management office to be closer to subordinates", Makarov said.
The General added than methods of troops control had been changed. Therefore, there's no need to keep together all links of command structure any more; they can be "dispersed" through thousands of kilometers.
The main thing is to create integrated information control system where every branch would be an element, supposes Makarov. Formerly, Navy and Air Force had their own command and control systems; in some cases it made difficult to coordinate actions of various units, said the general.
Speaking of reinforcement of Navy, Makarov underlined that recently a new
Borei-class nuclear-powered submarine and a new corvette armed with high-precision weapons had been laid down. New long-range coastal systems are also to be created, informs
RBK.
It was previously reported that the matter of Russian Navy HQ relocation to St. Petersburg would be settled no sooner than in June. That was said to
BaltInfo by informed source.
"We've been working on this issue for two years now. It will be finally clear in June-July when Navy reformation project becomes transparent", said the interviewee.
We remind that even earlier Russian media referring to top-ranking naval official circulated information that Navy Main HQ would move to St. Petersburg till the end of 2010.
In autumn 2007 Boris Gryzlov, Speaker of the State Duma offered defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov to consider possibility of relocation of Navy Main HQ to Petersburg-based Admiralty building. The idea was supported by Valentina Matvienko, St. Petersburg Governor.
In Dec 2008 Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov reported that Navy Main HQ would move to St. Petersburg. "In the course of military reform we plan to relocate Navy Main HQ and return it to historical place in St. Petersburg", Makarov said.
However, experts consider move of naval administration as a very expensive measure. For instance, according to Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, this relocation is "very complicated task". "Nonetheless, it is being and will be accomplished. Perhaps, by another term", said the admiral. Last summer he explained that financial problems would affect terms of the relocation.
Source: , photo: Nikolai Makarov (AFP)
