Russian Defense Minister considers some 1 mln soldiers an optimal size for Russian army

Addressing on Tuesday the Ministry of Justice officials, governors and legislators from the Far Eastern Federal District, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced that in his estimation the optimal size of the Russian army should be around 1 million people. According to Ivanov, at present, the size of the army has been already reduced to 1,173 people. Only 18 months ago, that number was 1,368. However, underlined the minister, the new reduced army should be equipped "with the sophisticated high-precision weapons, and it should be mobile, professional and effective." At the same time, he stressed the importance of space and strategic missile forces, and also permanent combat readiness units. He also emphasised the necessity of "having satellites in the orbit to avoid being blind and deaf while possessing a nuclear arsenal."