THE BARE IN THE WOODS:

Russian Army Not Fit For Modern War - Top General: Foreign analysts and critics at home have expressed doubts Russia will be able to defeat a stronger force than Georgia. (Javno, 12/16/08)

he conflict exposed a lack of modern equipment, poor communications and other shortcomings in Moscow's Soviet-era war machine, Nikolai Makarov, chief of the general staff, said.

"To find a lieutenant-colonel, colonel or general able to lead troops with a sure hand, you had to chase down officers one by one throughout the armed forces, because those career commanders in charge of 'paper regiments and divisions' just could not resolve the tasks set," Makarov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. "When they were given personnel and equipment, they simply lost their heads, while some even refused to fulfil the given tasks," Makarov told Russia's Academy of Military Sciences.

"So I have a question: 'Do we need such officers'?"

Foreign analysts and critics at home have expressed doubts Russia will be able to defeat a stronger force than Georgia, while the Defence Ministry unveiled a military reform plan aimed at creating a smaller, but better equipped and mobile army.

Russia's army inherited a largely Soviet-era military structure, in which many units are run mainly or exclusively by officers, existing mostly on paper and ready to be mobilised with reservists in case of a large-scale war.

Makarov said 83 percent of today's Russian army were numerically incomplete and only 17 percent were combat-ready.

"Of those 150 regiments in our air forces, there are only five ones permanently combat-ready and capable of fulfilling all tasks set, albeit with limited numbers -- operating just 24 aircraft instead of 36," he said.

Makarov said a similar gloomy picture was seen in the navy, where "one half of warships stands idle at anchor".

You pretty much have to be a Realist to be scared of Russia.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 16, 2008 4:44 PM