Putin eating with soldiersPutin's Pipe Dream for Building a Modern Army -- Alexander Golts, Moscow Times
Listening to Vladimir Putin's statements during his presidential campaign, you would think the country was at war.
The national leader was constantly calling upon the Russian people to defeat the enemy, presumably the United States. To give substance to his fear-mongering, Putin held a record number of meetings with defense and security agencies, including a specially convened gathering of military unit commanders, the elite Taman mechanized-infantry brigade and experts at the federal nuclear weapons center in Sarov. At each meeting, participants asked prepared questions concerning the threat of a foreign-financed Orange Revolution. Putin answered by saying the country would act in strict accordance with the law, which is to say that the siloviki will be willing to crush the protest movement, if necessary.
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My Comment: Russia is committed to spending money on its military .... but will the military get it, will they spend it wisely, and do they have the man power and human resources to field an effective military when this is spent .... hmmm .... I have my doubts. The reason why is simple .... the demographics are just no longer there for Russia to field a military force that everyone will take notice. The only advantage that the Russians have is in their nuclear forces .... but in today's world they only serve as a deterrent against other nuclear powers .... on the battle fields of today and of the future .... they are completely ineffective.