Defense Leadership in Russia: The General Staff and Strategic Management in a Comparative Perspective

Introduction

In Russia today, little is understood about the strategic leadership of the national defense system, including the armed forces and their management. Yet strategic leadership represents one of the most vital issues for Russia's national defense capability and thus, its real sovereignty. It is also an important factor in its potential to restore its status as a major power - this time with an authentic democratic political system and a modern market economy.

The strategic management system of national defense and of the country's armed forces must be capable of dealing with the modern character of wars and armed conflicts that Russia is likely to face in the next twenty or twenty-five years. No less important, the system of strategic management must also be prepared to deal with the political conditions and challenges faced by the armed forces, the defense industry, and other components of the defense system, in accordance with national interests in such areas as economic, social, and cultural development of Russia.