Military Reform in Russia: Dilemmas, Obstacles, and Prospects

Abstract

There is little disagreement that the rapid erosion of the Soviet Union’s status as a military superpower has had a devastating effect on Russia’s defense establishment. Alexei Arbatov, deputy chairman of the Committee on Defense in the Russian State Duma, takes a hard look at the impact of the end of the Cold War on the Russian military. He claims that “not since June 1941 has the Russian military stood as perilously close to ruin as it does now.” Arbatov outlines the government’s efforts since 1993 to develop reforms to address the military’s problems. Relying on a wealth of official statistics on past, present, and future budget expenditures, Arbatov asserts that the government’s attempts to reform the military have been wholly inadequate. He offers his own set of recommendations, including: reducing Russia’s military force levels; reorganizing the armed forces’ structure, deployment, and command systems; and saving the military establishment’s core assets.