The False Dawn of Russian Military Reform

David J. Betz and Valeriy G. Volkov

No institution illustrates Russia's post-Soviet troubled times better than its armed forces. What was once the Soviet military juggernaut is now a shrunken and embittered shambles. Russians feel this deterioration in a very direct way because tragedies like the sinking of the Kursk submarine or the continuing debacle in Chechnya are widely reported, and many Russians still depend on the defense sector for their livelihood. On a more personal level, no Russian parent with a son nearing draft-age rests easy nowadays until an exemption certificate or deferment is obtained by hook or by crook. The crisis has also penetrated Western public consciousness in a crude but profound fashion: from Jack Ryan to James Bond, the "rogue" Russian general is a staple nemesis of Hollywood action heroes, only slightly less clichéd than the Colombian drug lord or Islamic terrorist.

The case for the reform of the Russian military has long been clear. The question is: why has so little been achieved thus far? And, in particular, why have the expectations that Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, would rebuild and reform the army from its currently appalling state come to naught?

Virtually everyone in Russia agrees that the army is a mess and incapable of meeting the current threats, but there is no agreement as to what exactly those threats are or what strategic setting would best enable Russia to face them. Questions like "Where does Russia belong?" and "Who are its friends and potential foes?" have proven exceedingly difficult for the Russian politico-military elite to answer…

David Betz is Lecturer in War Studies, King's college London and Valeriy Volkov is a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War and Lieutenant Colonel (ret) of the Russian Army.