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General Staff Tests Its Theories
// Military reform
The Baikal 2006 major strategic maneuvers begin today under the command of Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yury Baluevsky in the Siberian and Far Eastern Military Districts, Russia's largest. The Defense Ministry, internal forces, border service and agencies of the Emergencies Ministry will take part in them. After the exercises are over, the Defense Ministry will form three regional commands out of the two current districts. The Defense Ministry had denied media reports of the conversion to a regional command system until last week when Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov confirmed them at a session of the Security Council. Ivanov said that the formation of North, South and West regional commands would take place between 2008 and 2010. The Baikal 2006 exercises will test the military's plans in reality.
According to information obtained by Kommersant, the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts and the Baltic and Northern Fleets will be included in the Western Regional Command. The Northern Caucasus, Volga and Ural Military Districts, the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Sea Flotilla will be included in the South Regional Command. The Eastern Regional Command will comprise the Siberian and Far Eastern Military Districts, the Pacific Fleet and the Northeastern Forces in Kamchatka.
The Eastern Regional Command will have eight armies (including five of the nine general armies), the country's second largest fleet, half of the country's infantry divisions and strategic aviation and all of Russia's marines (a single division). All of that will be controlled by a unified command in Chita. A high-ranking former military officer pointed out to Kommersant yesterday that the two top military leaders – Baluevsky, First Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Belousov and even chief commander of the infantry forces Alexey Maslov do not have experience commanding even military districts.
A regional command was set up in Chita in 1979 after relations with China became strained. Three more regional commands were instituted in 1984 but, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Army returned to the military district system, since the centers of the regional commands besides Chita were outside Russia.
Ivan Safronov
All the Article in Russian as of June 30, 2006
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Photo: Valery Melnikov
