VP: It was the first time the General Staff participated in the Defence Plan of Russian Federation working out. I would ask you to enlarge upon this point.
SSh: The plan was elaborated by 49 ministries and departments.
All the details are worked out, the Plan is totally coordinated. But the most important thing is that the Plan considers perspectives and future development including government weaponization programme implementation. Besides, it takes into account various risks. We believe that complete analysis of everything we can face during the following decades is carried out. That is why we anticipate that the Plan is ready for enacting. Of course, the formulation is not finite, as according to different events and various threats concerning our country it may and definitely will be altered.
According to the Minister, main achievement of the plan is combination of all the programmes connected with the country’s defence (weaponization, mobilization, all ministries and departments’ programmes) in one document.
SSh: We propose this plan for approval.
VP: Let’s specify on this
SSh: As for the practice, one of the stages is completed, but it is rather extended. The part connected with long-range aviation operations is completed at the moment.
VG: The strategic aviation operations are carried out over the water bodies of the Black, Baltic and Norwegian seas and North-East part of the Atlantics. The operations required refueling in the air and were escorted by the fighter aviation. All the tasks are complete, crews are back.
The Defence Minister proposed to cut over to a new system of military equipment and armament maintenance.
Firstly, to switch over to EPC contracts, the contracts of military equipment life-cycle, which means that an organization is to support the equipment from the production to the disposition. Secondly, forward depot overhaul to the producing enterprise. This will exclude this expense from the Defence Ministry jurisdiction which will result in depleting Ministry staff and diminutions of costs
SSh: The equipment must be overhauled by the manufacturer. We are finalizing the negotiations with Rostec, KAMAZ ventures, armament, military equipment, ships, aircrafts, surface equipment and armour building and maintaining companies. We believe this will let us use the vast defence financing more efficiently.
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Sergey Shoygu proposed to forward the overhaul functions to the producing ventures in November, 2012. He also said that he strongly disagreed with Russian Defence Ministry carrying out the military equipment maintenance.
Source: http://www.kp.ru
