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The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces, traditionally referred to as the Army, are the protection of the state border, combat on dry land, the security of occupied territories, and the crushing defeat of the enemy and his troops. They must be able to achieve these goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the national interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations.

Chain of command

Management of the ground forces is entrusted to High Command (Glavkomat) of the ground forces based in Moscow. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Russian military, but the head of the ground forces is the commander-in-chief of ground forces - a deputy minister of defense of the Russian Federation, a Colonel General.

To the Glavkomat of ground forces is entrusted the accomplishment of the following objectives:

  • The training of troops for combat, on the basis of the tasks, determined by the General Staff of armed forces.
  • The improvement of the structure and composition, the optimization of number, in such cases it is ancestral troops and special troops.
  • The development of military theory and practice.
  • The development and introduction in the training of troops of field manuals, manuals, and methodology.
  • The improvement of the operational and combat training of the ground forces.

Organization

The ground forces organizationally consist of the military districts (Moscow, Leningrad, North-Caucasian, Volga-Ural, Siberian and Far-Eastern), armies, army corps, motorized rifle (tank), artillery and anti-aircraft artillery divisions, fortified districts, brigades, individual military units, military establishments, enterprises and organizations.

  • The branches of service -motorized rifles, tanks, artillery and rocket forces, troop air defense, army aviation, special corps (reconnaissance, signals, radioelectroninc warfare, engineering, radiation, chemical and biological protection, technical support, automobile and the protection of rear); military units and logistical establishments.
    • Motorized rifle troops - most numerous branch of service, that constitutes the basis of ground forces and the nucleus of their battle formations. They are equipped with powerful armament for destruction of ground-based and aerial targets, missile complexes, tanks, artillery and mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, antiaircraft missile systems and installations, effective means of reconnaissance and control.
    • Tank troops - main impact force of ground forces and the powerful means of armed struggle, intended for the solution of the most important problems in different forms of war shooting.
    • Artillery and Rocket Forces - main firepower and the most important operational means in the solution of combat problems by the crushing defeat of groupings of enemy.
    • PVO - Air Defense Troops, ares one of the basic weapon for the destruction of enemy aviation. It consists of zenith missile, zenith artillery and radio-technical units and subdivisions.
    • Army aviation is intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces, by providing their tactical air support, conducting of tactical aerial reconnaissance, transporting airborne troops and fire support of their actions, electroninc warfare, setting of the minefield barriers and other tasks.

The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is directed toward limitation and reduction of nuclear and conventional armaments, shaping of regional and global safety system, and the limitation of all it's specific military activity.

Current Strength

As of 2005

  • Personnel: 321,000

  • Divisions:
    • Tank: 5
    • Motorized Rifle: 19
    • Infantry: N/A
    • Artillery: 5

  • Military Districts: 6

  • Vehicles and weapons:
    • Tanks: 21,820
    • Armored Fighting Vehicles: 25,975
    • Self-Propelled Artillery: 4,705
    • Towed Artillery: 10,065
    • Artillery Rocket: 2,606
    • Anti-Tank Guns: N/A
    • Anti-Aircraft Guns: 12,000
    • Air Defense Missiles: 2,670
    • Helicopters: 1,700

Current Inventory

  • Aircraft
    • ''None; all army aviation aircraft were recently transferred to the Air Force

  • Individual Weapons
    • Pistol
      • Makarov PMM | 9x18 PMM, 12 round magazine, main service sidearm
      • Stechkin APS | 9x18 PM, 20 round magazine, capable of fully automatic fire
      • 6P9 PB | 9x18 PM, 8 round magazine, uses a suppressor
      • 6P13 APB | 9x18 PM, 20 round magazine, capable of fully automatic fire, uses a suppressor
      • PSS | 7.62x41 SP-4, 6 round magazine, fires a "special purpose noiseless cartridge"
      • Serdyukov SPS / SR-1 / Gyurza | 9x21 SP-10/11, 18 round magazine, high armor piercing capability
      • Yarygin PYa / MP-443 | 9x19 7N21, 17 round magazine, special high power cartridge, replacing PMM as main service sidearm
      • GSh-18 | 9x19 7N21 or PBP, 18 round magazine, special high power cartridge
    • Submachine Gun
      • PP-19 Bizon | 9x18 PMM or 9x19, 64 round helical magazine
      • AEK-919K Kashtan | 9x18 PMM, 20 30 round magazine capacity
      • PP-90M1 | 9x19 7N21 or 7N31, 64 round helical magazine, 32 round conventional box magazine
      • PP-2000 | 9x19 7N21 or 7N31, 20 or 40 round magazine, can use spare magazine to work as a "butt stock"
      • SR-2M Veresk | 9x21 SP-10/11, 20 or 30 round magazine, high armor piercing capability
    • Shotgun
      • Saiga-12 | 12 Gauge, 8 round magazine, semi-automatic, uses a modified Kalashnikov design
      • TOZ-194 | 12 Gauge, 7 round internal tube magazine, pump action
    • Assault Rifle
      • AK-74M | 5.45x39, 30 round magazine, main service rifle
      • AKS-74U | 5.45x39, 30 round magazine, shortened version of the AK-74, moderate usage
      • AKM | 7.62x39, 30 round magazine, former main service rifle, moderate usage
      • AS Val | 9x39 SP-5 or SP-6, 10 or 20 round magazine, uses an integrated suppressor, widespread usage
      • OC-14 Groza | 9x39 SP-5 or SP-6 or 7.62x39, 20 round 9x39 or 30 round 7.62x39 magazine, bullpup
      • SR-3 Vikhr | 9x39 SP-5 or SP-6, 10 or 20 round magazine, very compact
      • 9A-91 | 9x39 SP-5 or SP-6, 10 or 20 round magazine, compact
      • AN-94 | 5.45x39, 30 round magazine, 2 round burst mode fired at 1800 RPM, designed to replace AK-74M, possibly limited usage
      • AK-103 | 7.62x39, 30 round magazine, modernized AKM, possibly limited usage
    • Machine Gun
      • RPK-74 | 5.45x39, 30 or 45 round magazine or 75 round drum, LMG based on the AK-74, main service SAW
      • RPK | 7.62x39, 30 or 40 round magazine or 75 round drum, former main service GPMG, based on the AKM, limited usage
      • PKM | 7.62x54, belt fed with 100 or 200 or 250 round boxes, uses a heavily modified Kalashnikov design, main service GPMG
      • Pecheneg | 7.62x54, belt fed with 100 or 200 round boxes, GPMG based on and designed to replace the PKM, limited usage
      • NSV | 12.7x108, belt fed with 50 round boxes, main service HMG
      • Kord | 12.7x109, belt fed with 50 round boxes, replacing the NSV as the main service HMG, limited usage
    • Sniper Rifle
      • SVD Dragunov | 7.62x54, 10 round magazine, semi auto, main service sniper rifle
      • Dragunov SVU | 7.62x54, 10 round magazine, semi auto, bullpup variant of the SVD, moderate usage
      • VSS Vintorez | 9x39 SP-5 or SP-6, 10 or 20 round magazine, semi or full auto, uses an integrated suppressor, widespread usage
      • SV-98 | 7.62x54, 10 round magazine, bolt action, limited usage
      • KSVK | 12.7x108, 5 round magazine, semi auto, limited usage
      • OSV-96 | 12.7x108, 5 round magazine, semi auto, can be folded in half, limited usage
    • Anti-Personnel Explosive
    • Anti-Tank Explosive
    • Man-Portable Air-Defence System

References

Military of Russia | Armies

Fuerzas Terrestres Rusas | 러시아 육군

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Russian Ground Forces".

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