Alexander Golts: Preparing for World War III
[Alexander Golts is deputy editor of the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal.]
President Dmitry Medvedev made a number of very important statements in an interview with Izvestia published on Friday — the most notable of which was his statement that another war on the scale of World War II is possible in the future. The president thus proved that he continues to be influenced by Russia’s most conservative generals, who insist that the country should be prepared for a Soviet-style mass mobilization to fight the next world war.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is moving forward with reforms that directly contradict the basic foundation of creating a mass-mobilization army. About 180,000 officers have been fired and more than 1,000 troop formations and “skeleton units” that would have been manned by millions of reservists have been eliminated. With these types of reductions, maintaining a mass-mobilization army is impossible by definition.
The problem, of course, is that a whole generation of generals cannot come to terms with the end of the mass-mobilization army. Their livelihood and careers depend on the continuation of a huge, conscript army. The only way they know how to fight a war is in the Soviet fashion — by throwing an endless stream of expendable recruits before enemy guns.
And these generals have plenty of allies who are willing to use all available resources to fight Serdyukov’s reforms. Deputy head of the General Staff Vasily Smirnov is leading these efforts. He created a sensation two weeks ago when he spoke at the Federation Council. First, Smirnov said the upper limit for conscription should be raised from 27 to 30 years of age. Second, the annual spring call-up should be extended to Aug. 1. Third, 70 percent of all institutions of higher learning should lose the right to grant deferments, which would make it possible to draft first- and second-year students from most universities and institutes. Finally, Smirnov wants to change the rule under which every draftee must sign his draft notice to acknowledge receipt. Why not, Smirnov suggested, simply text them the notice by cell phone and then prosecute them for failure to appear at their local draft board?
Read entire article at Moscow Times
President Dmitry Medvedev made a number of very important statements in an interview with Izvestia published on Friday — the most notable of which was his statement that another war on the scale of World War II is possible in the future. The president thus proved that he continues to be influenced by Russia’s most conservative generals, who insist that the country should be prepared for a Soviet-style mass mobilization to fight the next world war.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is moving forward with reforms that directly contradict the basic foundation of creating a mass-mobilization army. About 180,000 officers have been fired and more than 1,000 troop formations and “skeleton units” that would have been manned by millions of reservists have been eliminated. With these types of reductions, maintaining a mass-mobilization army is impossible by definition.
The problem, of course, is that a whole generation of generals cannot come to terms with the end of the mass-mobilization army. Their livelihood and careers depend on the continuation of a huge, conscript army. The only way they know how to fight a war is in the Soviet fashion — by throwing an endless stream of expendable recruits before enemy guns.
And these generals have plenty of allies who are willing to use all available resources to fight Serdyukov’s reforms. Deputy head of the General Staff Vasily Smirnov is leading these efforts. He created a sensation two weeks ago when he spoke at the Federation Council. First, Smirnov said the upper limit for conscription should be raised from 27 to 30 years of age. Second, the annual spring call-up should be extended to Aug. 1. Third, 70 percent of all institutions of higher learning should lose the right to grant deferments, which would make it possible to draft first- and second-year students from most universities and institutes. Finally, Smirnov wants to change the rule under which every draftee must sign his draft notice to acknowledge receipt. Why not, Smirnov suggested, simply text them the notice by cell phone and then prosecute them for failure to appear at their local draft board?