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In Russia, you will learn that Russia is the largest country in the world and its natural resources make it one of the richest. It has experienced enormous political, social, and economic upheaval during the last century, and as a result, Russia faces many challenges

The chapter summarizes developments in military operations from 2009 to early 2010 in the Russian Federation. The chapter provides a summary of Russia's military performance in the South Ossetian conflict of 2008. It explains of the changes that Army General Nikolai Makarov has proposed to the structure of the armed forces, which are described as being the most radical transformation of the Russian military in the last two hundred years. The plan envisages the transformation of the current four-tiered structure of the military into a three-tiered system creating a series of brigades which should better allow for regional conflict management in zones of foreign strategic interest. Military education and career management will be centralized into ten educational centers. The officer corps will be consolidated in order to eliminate redundant positions, and salaries for officers and other personnel are expected to triple in the next ten years. Despite the economic crisis, the Russian government has confirmed its commitment to maintaining high levels of defense spending aimed at modernization. The chapter discusses the role of arms exports to Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America as a tool of revenue generation for the armed forces. Kenny Cargill

The army's transformation to a combined-arms brigade-based structure is proceeding, albeit more slowly than the ministry initially envisaged. Personnel issues continue to bedevil the modernisation process, with poor manpower planning and poor conditions for contract servicemen and conscripts, as well as difficulties in the creation and maintenance of an effective senior NCO cadre. Modernising the equipment used by military personnel is another challenge. Efforts continue to overhaul not only command structures, but also command philosophy. Adapted from the source document.

Although Russian military reform has been obstructed by several factors including the appearance of cases of bullying amongst senior leaders, it is noted that conscription programs have been modified & that other reforms will reduce the number of Interior Ministry troops while augmenting the number of Federal Security Service personnel. Attention is then directed toward examining the air defense & space capabilities of the Russian military, alterations to Russia's cooperation with international military operations, & developments in combating insurgency in the North Caucasu's region. Moreover, information concerning Russia's defense economics, defense budget for 2006, & weapons exports is presented. In addition, detailed information documenting the Russian military's capabilities, deployment, & involvement in foreign forces is provided. Tables. J. W. Parker

"In this book, leading Russia scholar Dmitri Trenin accompanies readers on Russia's rollercoaster journey from revolution to post-war devastation, perestroika to Putin's stabilization of post-communist Russia."--Provided by publisher