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Russian Strategic Missile Forces mark professional holiday

About 6,000 servicemen go on combat posts in the RVSN alert force each day
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, December 17 (Itar-Tass) —— The keepers of the missile shield and sword of Russia – all those people, who are related with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) – mark their 53rd professional holiday – the Day of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces on Monday. The Council of the Ministers of the Soviet Union issued a decree on December 17, 1959, instituting the post of the chief commander of the Missile Forces, forming the Chief Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces and other bodies of military command.

Today the Strategic Missile Forces are an arm of the Russian Armed Forces, an important component of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. These troops are on permanent combat duty. About 6,000 servicemen go on combat posts in the RVSN alert force each day.

The Russian Strategic Missile Troops are armed with six types of 4th and 5th generation missile systems. Three silo-based missile systems and three mobile ground-based missile systems are operational in the RVSN. Over two thirds of nuclear vehicles of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces are brought together in these troops that can hit the targets on the territory of the enemy within a few minutes.

Organizational foundations, which provided for the fulfilment of the combat tasks, were preserved, the indicators of combat duty and the operation of weapons and military hardware were improved in 2012, RVSN Commander Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said. The bodies of military command, formations, military units and organizations are combat capable and can fulfil the combat tasks with guarantees within the deadlines.

Speaking on the plans to upgrade the RVSN weaponry, the commander noted the rearmament of the Novosibirsk and Kozelsk (Kaluga Region) missile formations for the missile system Yars was launched in 2012. By the end of this year about 100 launchers with new missile systems Topol-M and Yars will be put into service of the RVSN striking force. Thus, the share of modern weapons in the RVSN reached 30% for the last few years.

For the first time in the last 20 years, the RVSN are rearming more than two missile divisions simultaneously. In 2013 under the State Rearmament Program the missile regiments will be rearmed in three missile divisions, the preparatory works will be done for the rearmament of the missile regiments in another two missile divisions.

In 2013 the rearmament for new missile systems will be continued in the Novosibirsk and Kozelsk missile formations and the rearmament was launched in the first missile regiment of the Tagil missile formation. Meanwhile, the preparatory works will be done for the rearmament in the Irkutsk and Yasny missile formations next year. The Russian Strategic Missile Forces set the main task for 2013 to keep up the required level of combat capability in the troops.