MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. Five missile regiments of Russia’s Strategic Missile Force armed with modern systems will go on combat duty in 2016, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a conference call on Tuesday.
"The emphasis should be made on strengthening the potential of strategic nuclear forces and implementing defense and space programs. Five missile regiments armed with modern missile systems will assume combat duty in the Strategic Missile Force in 2016," the defense minister said.
Efforts will also be required to comprehensively improve the service infrastructure of strategic missile forces, primarily, the bases of strategic underwater missile cruisers and the airfields of long-range aviation, Shoigu said.
Good year for Russia's Defense Ministry
According to Shoigu, the Russian Defense Ministry approached the end of last year with fairly good parameters by and large.
"On the basis of the Air Force and the Air and Space Defense a new arm has been created - Russia’s Aerospace Force. Six strategic missile regiments armed with mobile and silo-based Yars missiles entered duty," Shoigu said.
Two strategic nuclear powered submarines of the Borei class - The Alexander Nevsky and The Vladimir Monomakh - went operational.
The general purpose forces were propelled to a qualitatively new level. The ground forces formed eight brigades and conducted 3,000 operational and combat exercises.
Shoigu noted the Defense Ministry’s achievements in building infrastructures and housing and the settlement of social issues.
"For the first time ever we achieved systemic and scheduled provision of permanent housing for military servicemen. The problem of corporate housing for career military has been resolved," Shoigu said.