Armed Forces of the Soviet Union

[The Soviet Union]

Componets
Red Army
Soviet Air force
Soviet Navy
Organization
The Russian military is divided into the following branches: Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force. There are also three independent troops (actually Corps): Strategic Missile Troops, Military Space Troops, Airborne Troops. The Anti-air Defense Troops are subordinated to the Air Force.

The Ground Forces are divided into six military districts: Moscow, Leningrad, North Caucasian, Privolzhsk-Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern.

The Navy consists of four fleets:

Baltic Fleet (based at Baltiysk in the enclave of Kaliningrad).
Pacific Fleet (based at Vladivostok).
Northern Fleet (based at Murmansk).
Black Sea Fleet (based at Sevastopol, now part of Ukraine. In 2005, the Ukrainian government confirmed that Russia's lease on the Sevastopol base will be honored at least until 2017.)
Since the Soviet time, the General Staff was acting as the main commanding and supervising body of the military forces, but currently its role is being reduced to a Ministry's department of strategic planning and the Minister is gaining executive authority over the troops. The other departments include Main personnel directorate and Auxiliary troops, Railroad troops and Construction troops.

Military Resources
The available manpower for the various branches of the Armed Forces was estimated at 36 million in 2003. According to Russian reports, in FY 2002, there was about a 40% increase in arms procurement spending. However, even this increase is not enough to make up for the budget shortfalls of the previous decade. Russia's struggling arms producers will, therefore, intensify their efforts to seek sales to foreign governments.

As of 2005, some 330,000 young men are brought into the army via conscription in two call-ups each year. Conscripts are supposed to serve for two years (but only 9% do, according to the Defense Ministry), though this commitment is set to be reduced to one year in 2008. Russian officials say that they plan to achieve a 70% volunteer force by that year.

Women also serve in the Russian military, though in far lesser numbers than men. As of 2005, there were approximately 90,000 women serving in the various branches. Women usually serve in support roles, most commonly in the fields of nursing, communications, and engineering.

The ranks of the Russian military are also open to non-Russian citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States, of which Russia is the largest member. Non-Russians enlisting from these states cannot serve in elite or secret units but are in many cases entitled to Russian citizenship after their term of service.

About 70% of the former Soviet Union's defense industries are located in the Russian Federation. A large number of state-owned defense enterprises are on the brink of collapse as a result of cuts in weapons orders and insufficient funding to shift to production of civilian goods, while at the same time trying to meet payrolls. Many defense firms have been privatized; some have developed significant partnerships with firms in other countries.

Nuclear Weapons
More realistically, the Russian military doctrine, then and now, has called for the reliance on the country's strategic nuclear forces as the primary deterrent against attack by a major power (such as NATO forces or the People's Republic of China). In keeping with this dictum, the country's nuclear forces have received adequate financing throughout the lean 1990s while the rest of the military was cash-starved and decayed. The military division in charge of the nuclear weapons is the Strategic Rocket Forces. The number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and warheads on active duty has declined over the years, in part in keeping with arms limitation agreements with the USA and in part due to insufficient spending on maintenance, but military power of nuclear forces didn't decline because of deployment of new rockets virtually invulnerable for missile defences. The ICBMs it has on duty would be more than sufficient to wreak global havoc, hence serving as a very credible deterrent. See also: Russia and weapons of mass destruction Still, Russia possesses new SS Topol' M missiles that are stated to be able to easily penetrate any missile defence on the planet, including the US missile defence system. Russian nuclear forces are confident that they can carry out a successful retaliation strike if attacked.

Interestingly, because of the international awareness of the danger of Russian nuclear technology falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue officers who might want to use it to threaten or attack the West, The Pentagon and other agencies have actually provided considerable financial assistance to the Russian nuclear forces over the years. This money went in part to finance decommissioning of warheads under bilateral agreements, but also to improve security and personnel training in Russian nuclear facilities. This may be one of the big reasons why no terrorist nuclear incidents have so far occurred in the world despite existence of many terrorist organizations and rogue states' intelligence services who would have been interested in acquiring nuclear technology from Russia.

[The Soviet Union]

Russian Aif Force
The Russian Federation Air Force is the air force of the Russian Federation and is also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ÂÂÑ, Âîåííî-âîçäóøíûå ñèëû (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily), the official designation of the former Soviet Air Force. The Russian Navy has its own airforce, the Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota (Naval Aviation), or AV-MF.

History
Aviation in Russia has a long history seeing as military pilot training was started as early as 1910. Although when World War I broke out the military was not yet at a level of readiness that a major war demands, Russian aircraft production is estimated to have risen to an impressive 4,700 aicraft.

After the creation of the Soviet state many efforts were made in order to modernize and expand aircraft production. Domestic aircraft production increased significantly in the early years of the 1930s and towards the end of the decade the Soviet Air Force was able to introduce I-15 and I-16 fighters and SB-2, SB-2 BIS and DB-3 bombers.

At the start of WW II the Soviet Air Force had to overcome severe losses, but towards the end of the war it not only managed to confront the Luftwaffe, but also was able to produce some unique and technologically advanced aircraft such as the La-5, Yak-9, Pe-2 and Il-2.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force was rearmed, strengthened and modern air doctrines were introduced. At its peak in the 80's it could deploy, in different operation areas, approximately 10,000 aicraft. By the beginning of the 1990s the Soviet Union had an air force that in terms of quantity fulfilled superpower standards.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the majority of these forces, approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower. The VVS was reorganised:

Long Range Aviation
Military Transport Aviation
Tactical/Air Defence Armies
The VVS participated in the First Chechen War (1994-1996) and the Second Chechen War (1999-2002). Both air campaigns highlighted shortcomings of the force, particularly lack of training and appropriate weapons. They also presented significant difficulties for the VVS including; the type of terrain, lack of significant fixed targets and insurgents armed with Stinger and Strela-2M SAMs.

In 1998 the RFAF was merged with the Voyska PVO (Air Defence Force), which is a more common arrangement than operating two independent forces. In 2003 also the aviation assets of the Army -mostly helicopters- were transferred to the VVS.

The RFAF continues to suffer from a lack of resources both for procurement and modernisation and pilot training. In 1990s Russian pilots achieved approximately 10% of the flight hours of US Air Force pilots. The RFAF has been forced to abandon ambitious plans of advanced tactical fighter in favour of upgrades to current aircraft. While suggestions that the only way forward for the RFAF is to cut aircraft numbers to around 300 (a similar size as the Royal Air Force) are extreme, it is likely that modernisation of the force will involve at least some dramatic

Current Inventory

Operational Fighters
Su-33 Flanker (Su-27K) 52 (Navy)
Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter 452 150 Frontal Air Force; 200 Air Defence)
Are being modernized to reach Su-27SM level.

MiG-29 Fulcrum 455 (345 Frontal Air Force; 110 Navy)
Planned modernization to reach the MiG-29SMT level.

MiG-31 Foxhound 325 (25 Frontal Air Force; 300 Air Defence)

Operational Attack Aircraft
Su-24M Fencer 497 (367 Frontal Air Force; 130 Navy)
Planned modernization to reach Su-24M2 level.

Su-25 Frogfoot 262 (192 Frontal Air Force; 70 Navy)
Planned modernization to reach the Su-25SM level.

Su-34 Fullback 8 (Frontal Air Force)

Long Range Bombers
Tu-22M Backfire 265 (100 Frontal Air Force; 165 Navy)

Strategic Bombers
Tu-95/142 Bear 88 (Strategic Force, Navy)
Tu-160 Blackjack 15 (Strategic Force)

Reconnaissance/ECM/ELNIT
Su-24MR/MP Fencer 100 (80 Frontal Air Force; 20 Navy)
MiG-25RB Foxbat 80 (80 Frontal Air Force)

Transport
Il-76 Candid
An-72 Coaler 20

Refueling Tankers
Il-78 Midas (Il-76 based)

Prototypes/Experimental
Su-35 Super Flanker (Su-27M)
Su-37 Terminator
Su-47 Berkut (S-37, "Su-47" is a journalizm, "Berkut" is developer's name)
MiG-1-44 Flatpack (MiG-1-42, MiG-39)
Su-39 Frogfoot (Su-25TM, optimized as tank-killer)

[The Soviet Union]

Russian Ground Forces
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces, traditionally referred to as the Army, are the protection of the state border, combat on dry land, the security of occupied territories, and the crushing defeat of the enemy and his troops. They must be able to achieve these goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the national interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations

Chain of command
Management of the ground forces is entrusted to High Command (Glavkomat) of the ground forces based in Moscow. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Russian military but the head of the ground forces is the commander-in-chief of ground forces - a deputy minister of defense of the Russian Federation, a Colonel General.

To the Glavkomat of ground forces is entrusted the accomplishment of the following objectives:

The training of troops for combat, on the basis of the tasks, determined by the General Staff of armed forces
The improvement of the structure and composition, the optimization of number, in such cases it is ancestral troops and special troops.
The development of military theory and practice
The development and introduction in the training of troops of field manuals, manuals, and methodology.
The improvement of the operational and combat training of the ground forces.

Organization
The ground forces organizationally consist of the military districts (Moscow, Leningrad, North-Caucasian, Volga-Ural, Siberian and Far-Eastern), armies, army corps, motorized rifle (tank), artillery and anti-aircraft artillery divisions, fortified districts, brigades, individual military units, military establishments, enterprises and organizations.

the branches of service -motorized rifles, tanks, artillery and rocket forces, troop air defense, army aviation, special cores (reconnaissance, signals, radioelectroninc warfare, engineering, radiation, chemical and biological protection, technical support, automobile and the protection of rear); military units and logistical establishments.

Motorized rifle troops - most numerous branch of service, that constitutes the basis of ground forces and the nucleus of their battle formations. They are equipped with powerful armament for destruction of ground-based and aerial targets, missile complexes, tanks, artillery and mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, antiaircraft missile systems and installations, effective means of reconnaissance and control.

Tank troops - main impact force of ground forces and the powerful means of armed struggle, intended for the solution of the most important problems in different forms of war shooting.

Artillery and Rocket Forces - main firepower and the most important operational means in the solution of combat problems by the crushing defeat of groupings of enemy.

PVO- Air Defense Troops, ares one of the basic weapon for the destruction of enemy aviation. It consists of zenith missile, zenith artillery and radio-technical units and subdivisions.

Army aviation is intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces, by providing their tactical air support, conducting of tactical aerial reconnaissance, transporting airborne troops and fire support of their actions, electroninc warfare, setting of the minefield barriers and other tasks.

The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is directed toward limitation and reduction of nuclear and conventional armaments, shaping of regional and global safety system, the limitation of all it is specific military activity.

[The Soviet Union]

Russian Navy

The Russian Navy (Russian: Âîåííî Ìîðñêîé Ôëîò (ÂÌÔ) - Voyenno- Morskoy Flot (VMF) or Military Maritime Fleet) is the naval arm of the Russian armed forces. The international designation of Russian naval vessels is "RFS" - "Russian Federation Ship".

The present Russian Navy was formed from the Soviet Navy after the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War in 1991.

The Russian Navy possesses most of the former Soviet naval forces, which is currently composed of the Northern Fleet, the former Soviet Pacific Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, the former Soviet Caspian Flotilla, Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (marines) and coastal artillery.