Russia Deputy PM: Army Must ‘Instill Fear In Our Enemies’

The Russian defense industry must produce only those types of weaponry that would allow the Armed Forces to operate effectively in the conditions of modern warfare, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.

“The production of weaponry must reflect the fact that modern wars will be brief and unpredictable in nature, they will not rage on for years,” Rogozin said during a meeting with defense industry officials.

“We need a very compact, mobile, armed to the teeth army and fleet that instill fear in our enemies, and strategic nuclear forces that would ensure our [national] security,” he said.

Rogozin insisted that Russia must abandon the model of arms procurement used during the Soviet era because at that time the production of weaponry got out of control and ate up enormous resources.

“The Defense Ministry used to order a wide range of military equipment without even knowing what it was for,” he said. “Today, it’s all scrap metal – we cannot use or sell it.”

Rogozin, who oversees the Russian defense industry, is facing a formidable task of streamlining the development and production of weaponry in the country.

He proposed to create a strong link between the designers of weaponry, manufacturers and the military to ensure the effectiveness of a new arms procurement model.