Russian Military at the Dawn of the Millennium. The Collins Center Update. Special Edition 1, March 2000

摘要

In February, the Army War College brought together nearly 20 specialists from academia and government in the United States and Western Europe and over 30 individuals from the policy and intelligence communities to examine the state of the Russian military. The workshop examined Russia's domestic environment, perceived threats, and its response to those threats in terms of policies and force structure. This special issue of The Collins Center Update summarizes the workshop. Russia's physical environment suffers from pervasive chemical and radiological contamination from industrial, agricultural, and military sources. Environmental neglect and pollution have contributed to a decline in Russia's population, which will have a negative impact on Russia's military and economic potential. Russia is nearing the end of its transition from the USSR to the Russian Federation and its new president, Vladimir Putin, will have the responsibility of fully defining power relationships between individuals and institutions. Putin also will have to face the pervasive organized crime in Russia that is an integral part of the government. Other topics covered include the Russian view of Kosovo; the unique state of civilian- military relations in Russia; the economic challenges Russia faces in trying to convert from a centralized, command economy to a market-based economy; its perception of the United States as a threat that seeks to limit its role and influence in foreign affairs, as evidenced in the U.S. role in Kosovo; the importance to Russia of establishing firm control over Chechnya to restore its credibility; Russia's response to U.S. unipolarity by cultivating relations with the People's Republic of China; its reliance on nuclear weapons for deterrence and as a warfighting instrument because of its weak military; the lack of funding for the military; and the suggestion that the United States should actively engage Russia in a comprehensive arms control dialog.