Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev announced Monday that Moscow would preserve its balance of nuclear forces with the United States after the planned cuts in its armed forces personnel and nuclear component in 2001-2005, according to Interfax news agency.
"I think the world is ready for a steady reduction of nuclear weaponry, and we will preserve the balance of forces [with the United States] at the minimum sufficient level," Sergeyev told reporters.
Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, the commander in chief of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, said that "up to six Topol-M advanced missile systems" would go into service before the end of this year. He also revealed that two Topol-M regiments of 20 missiles each were now in service with the Tatishchevskaya division.
Yakovlev said that the number of Topol-M systems to go online next year would depend "on meeting the budget targets and the defense production plan."
The decision to keep Russia’s nuclear forces, modernized but at lower levels, puts an end to the public rift between Sergeyev and the head of the military's general staff, Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, who has proposed a plan to restructure the Strategic Rocket Forces and downgrade their importance, incorporating them as a unit of the air force.
As previously reported by NewsMax.com, under Kvashnin's plan more funds would have been diverted to the financially starved conventional forces. He argued that the performance of some units during the war in Chechnya demonstrated that long-neglected, cash-strapped conventional forces urgently needed to be upgraded.
Sergeyev, on the other hand, defended the Strategic Armed Forces and its nuclear arsenal as Russia's main deterrent against attack by other nations. He called Kvashnin's plan "criminal."
The public argument forced Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to intervene last summer and order both men to patch up their differences as they prepared competing plans for restructuring the military.
Referring to the argument between Sergeyev and Kvashnin, Putin said he had tolerated the disagreements within the Defense Ministry up to a point, but "now we have to end this discussion and reach a carefully thought through, balanced decision."
It was known that Putin has wanted to scrap the huge stockpile of old missiles, because maintaining the old rockets is a huge drain on the limited funds Russia can afford to spend on the military. He has pushed to resume development of more modern weapons and has provided the funding to revive some mothballed programs.
Monday’s announcement confirmed that Putin got his way.
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