MEDVEDEV URGES RUSSIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY TO CREATE SUPERIOR WEAPONS

RIA Novosti
Oct 26, 2009

REUTOV (Moscow Region), October 26 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian
president said on Monday that the country’s defense industry must
ensure the effective modernization of the military and provide it
with state-of-the-art weapons.

Dmitry Medvedev said "the restructuring of the Armed Forces should
be complete in two months," adding that the next task was more
challenging: "re-outfitting of the army and navy."

He stressed that the life of Russian soldiers depended "on the quality
of the weapon systems, on the quality of the defense industry,"
and that the quality of its products was crucial for Russia’s
competitiveness on world arms markets.

He said that "by 2012, very serious progress must be made" in
modernizing the Russian Armed Forces.

The president said there should be no difference in the quality of
military goods manufactured for export or for domestic consumption.

He warned that although significant government funds were provided
for defense, they must not be wasted.

"The most unpleasant thing is when money is spent on the
‘modernization’ of something that is obsolete or will become obsolete
in the next few years. This is self-defeating," Medvedev said,
stressing that priority should be given to superior, cutting-edge
systems.