Russia will revamp its armed forces through a 50 per cent hike in spending on armaments and hardware in 2006, President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow Wednesday, according to DPA. "This is the start of a crucial and responsible phase in the re- equipment and modernization of the armed forces," Putin said in televised comments at a meeting with military chiefs. "In channelling serious resources to the army, we understand that the armed forces are a most important attribute of statehood, the guarantor of the sovereignty of our country," he stressed. Major procurements for the largely conscript-based army will include precision weapons, reconnaissance systems and automated control systems. International terrorism is the greatest threat to Russia, said Putin, who has traditionally placed the emphasis on maintaining a modern arsenal of nuclear weapons. Russia's nuclear forces "are still able not only to secure deterrence of aggression against our country and its allies but also guarantee an adequate response to any aggressor", Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told the gathering of top brass. Russia's armed forces number 1.13 million personnel according to the minister. While exact spending on defence is classified, the basic draft budget of Ivanov's ministry for 2006 is 667 billion roubles (23 billion U.S. dollars), or around 15 per cent of the total budget. The sum represents an increase of five billion dollars on this year.
