Russia's military 'on verge of collapse'

[Aidoneus]

Russia's military 'on verge of collapse'
Friday 01 October 2004

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has warned that the Russian armed forces are on the verge of collapse because people are avoiding the draft.

Ivanov said on Friday in televised remarks that 176,000 soldiers would be enlisted in the October-December draft season - less than one in every 10 of the people eligible for the draft.

"By comparison I can say that just 10 years ago, in 1994, we called up 30% of all of those eligible. Now it is less than 10%.

"This really is a critical line and we cannot go any lower, otherwise we will simply lose our armed forces," Ivanov said at a military base in the central Russian town of Oryol.

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F80CA18A-257D-4B42-99DC-3917057BEE43.htm

[bemildred]

1. Maybe if they fed and clothed the troops, it would improve morale. nt

[makhno]

2. Good job, Sergei

What happened to the idea of a professional military? Oh, wait, the money was "misplaced."

Idiots and traitors, it's like a mirror image of the US minus the consumerist veneer.

[Jack The Tab]

3. I saw a show somewhere about military training around the world..

and Russian and South Korean soldiers get the SHIT beaten out of them. South Korean training was particularly brutal. Their special forces training had some pretty horrendous shit. Making them shoot dogs is one thing that sticks out in my head.

But the Russian recruits got beaten pretty bad by the already trained troops. real fraternity type shit mentality.

[blindpig]

6. Imperial Marines

had a friend who was army intelligence in WWII. When the Korean conflict broke out he was called back specifically to recruit Koreans who had served in the Japanese Imperial Marines for the South Korean Army, something that I believe was prohibited by the peace treaty. Goes a long way explaining why they are such hard asses.

[The Doctor.]

4. scary

Russia may lose it's forces... but they still have nukes to fall back on...

[steely]

5. They've had pay problems for years....

that's always been an army morale buster. They were always teased along with promises. But I read this some time ago, like post-Gorbachev perhaps. And probably before that they had no choice.


on edit: spelling

[WMliberal]

7. how will putin enforce "democracy"

without the bayonet and jackboot? :shrug:

[fujiyama]

8. This is what happens

when you are stuck in a war you cannot win, your economy is in shambles, and you have a leader that has no respect for the rule of law.