First Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov heals Russian defense

Sergey Ivanov is keeping his word by continuing the daily work with the defense industry. When he left the post of the Defense Minister he promised to his military colleagues that would not leave them alone. Time proved that the interests of the national defense are still number one priority to the First Vice-Premier. Any more or less important decision of the government directly or indirectly concerning military-industrial complex that has been taken since his appointment has his personal contribution.

Photo: First Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov heals Russian defense

The last meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission headed by Sergey Ivanov took the decision to launch one more federal purpose oriented program (FCP). FCPs are regarded by the Russian government as an instrument of fixing specific problems of certain industries. They are supposed to unite the efforts of different institutions and structures having a relation to a particular problem under one umbrella, providing time and volume scheduled financing from the federal budget.

This time the First Vice-Premier criticized the absence in the government of a comprehensive approach to the problem of creating hi-tech products of military, civil and dual purpose. At the meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission he publicly emphasized that now national defense suffers from the shortage of over 1500 types of materials, which endangers the defense capabilities and economic security of the nation.

Fixing this problem requires comprehensive approach of all parties concerned. It has been straightforwardly stated that the existing federal purpose oriented programs are insufficient for solving the problem. Today several FCPs directly concerning military-industrial complex are fulfilled in Russia: "National Technological Base", "Development of Civil Aviation Technic", "Development of the Defense-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation", "Development of the Electronic Components Base and Radio-Electronics" and some other. Each of the programs is scheduled for several years ahead at has a budget of at least several billion rubles.

Military-Industrial Commission decided that the industry of producing rare materials is important enough to have own purpose oriented program. This is a landmark decision. According to Sergey Ivanov so far despite of all efforts, the priority directions of the development of the resource-and-materials foundation for the hi-tech industries have not been formulated clearly and comprehensively. The new FCP is supposed to change the situation when only separate projects on creating individual new materials within the frameworks of this or another purpose–oriented program are implemented.

The new purpose-oriented program got the name "Development, Restoration and Organization of the Manufacture of Strategic, Deficit, Import-Replacing and Small-Tonnage Chemistry Materials for the Arms, Military and Special Technic". First of all it includes the materials with an extremely high added value: ultra-thin protection layers, greases and nano-materials. Just a couple of tons would be enough for the entire industry.

The decision on the development of the concept of this FCP was taken as far back as in April. However, the draft concept is still coordinated with the federal institutions. Interference of the Military-Industrial Commission and personally Sergey Ivanov is supposed to break the red tape. As is known, Military-Industrial Commission is not accountable to the government and has the right to appeal directly to the President. Many of its decisions are legally binding for the government.

Yuri Seleznev
Pravda.ru