Russia wants to build new US air refueling tanker?

Saw this interesting report on CNN this morning. While it will most likely be DOA in the US Congress for several reasons, it was interesting to read this. While the Russian side of the story focused on the economic aspects such a deal, such as broader access to foreign markets, the reader can't help to wonder about how it ties in with Russia's military modernization efforts. Russia is still pushing forward with its purchase of an amphibious ship from France and UAVs from different countries. So I think in the end, this proposal represents two efforts by the Russians, an attempt to gain better access to various markets based their competition for the refueling tanker and more access to western technology and the acquisition process. Sphere: Related Content

Corruption in the Russian Military

Thankfully, layovers in airports give you time to catch up on stuff, like blogging! Woo-hoo!

This new report popped up in the Barents Observer on the level of corruption in the Russian Military. Last year (2009) approximately 3 billion rubles of defense spending was lost to bribes. While corruption is a given in any military system due to the fairly large commit of national funds to militaries these days, what stands out in this story is the fact that the amount from this past year was double from last year.

So far, eight generals were relieved and sentenced to jail time ranging from three to five years. While it is good to have heads roll at the top for crimes such as this, it is indicative that corruption and bribery is indemic at all levels of russian government, from the justice system, to education. President Medvedev has made anti-corruption a major facet in his term as president insisting that govt officials have complete transparency in their financial dealings and compensation so as to make it apparent when someone is living outside the means one would expect of such an official.

As reforms continue (or don't) especially in the military realm, more such convictions at all levels must be a facet to make it clear that the Russian military is leaving the old ways behind as it strives to make professionalism a hall mark of its reformed military. Reform of the military is more than just new purchases of equipment, it is a major change in the way that the officers and sergeants see their service.

OK, time to go catch a jetplane!

Credit to Barents Observer for the pic. Sphere: Related Content

Project Sapphire, the good old days

The early nineties were great. Your biggest concern was not bumping into an unmarked, left over minefield in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, Russia and the US held joint manuevers, it was good times for all.

Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, the US paid the Kazakh government 27 million dollars to take several hundred tons of highly enriched uranium off of its hands. David Hoffman, in the Washington Post, tells the story of a US counter proliferation project called Project Sapphire. While it's not George Clooney chasing a rogue nuclear bomber around the world, it does show how good policy can effectively keep nuclear genies in the bottle. Nuclear material has value to countries as either a source of energy, or a source of power to cow their neighbors or bring parity with another nuclear power in the region.

Our best policy in this region would be to keep encouraging Russian and Central Asian counter proliferation efforts both within their borders and in the region. The latest revelation about Iran's nuclear weapons efforts only make their cooperation more important. Sphere: Related Content

Shades of '91

Pavel Felgenhauer has reported on a Russian Army incursion into Moscow earlier this week. What is most disturbing about this incident is that is was a senior military officer who had chosen to use his own power to subvert what appeared to be a legal investigation into the mis-doings of his son-inlaw.

The sending of armed troops, unasked for by the Russian government, into Moscow does bring to light some serious command and control issues for both Medvedev and Putin. Felgenhauer rightly points out the implications for the Kremlin. This may result in Medvedev and Putin becoming prisoners in their own city unless Shamonov is crushed and made an example of.

Shumanov has also been a very vocal supporter of COL Budanov, a Russian Tank Regiment who was charged with and found guilty of the murder of a teenage Chechen girl during Russia's campaign there. The Budanov case has been an irritant for Moscow due to the constant attention brought to it by Anna Politkovskaya in her articles and books. While Putin has poo-poo'd her death, the reason she was killed can probably be tied back to her work on Chechnya, amongst other things. Shumanov unearthing Budanov in his defense probably does little to help him. Shumanov did serve in Chechnya.

While this does provide Moscow with an embarrasing and very thought provoking incident, their is a silver lining in all of this. Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov has been leading the charge for Medvedyev's military reforms and professionalization of the military. His biggest obstacle so far has been the general officer corps, who see the changes as a threat to them and the Russian military officer corps as a whole. What better hammer to have to beat them into submission than that of a russian general officer using elite special troops to barge into Moscow for his own personal interests.

Use it wisely, well and often is the only advice I could give. Sphere: Related Content

New HMFIC for the Training of the Russian Military

Russia has placed a new general officer in charge of the training of the Russian military. Some information on Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich does exist out there. According to Jamestown, Yevnevich spent almost seven years in Moldova overseeing the Russian peacekeeping operation in that area. The big cesspool of Moldova is the Transistria region that has become a center of crime. Anything from human trafficking to drugs and weapons smuggling, it's an A-Z of crime.

What's intersting to note is that Yevnevich replaced Alexander Lebed, who was apparently recalled due to pressure from mob leadership in the area. Yevnevich, though, was able to overcome the political strength of the criminals in Transistria and pretty much defang them and remove and destroy just about all of the military material that had been passed to them over the years. Yevnevich appears to be a true professional officer dedicated to the success of the Russian military. One has to wonder if he'll work to professionalize the military and develop it into a factor of democratic strength in Russia, or will he work to strengthen Russia as a threat to the region? Time will tell, but I'll hope for the former. Sphere: Related Content