MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Success on the modern-day battlefield is achieved through the use of the latest weaponry and robotics, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said at the Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces.

On Knowledge Day, the defense minister congratulated the faculty, cadets and students of the Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces on the start of a new academic year.

"These days, success on the battlefield is achieved through the use of the latest weapons, and active use of robotics. A reliable communication and control system and continuous improvement of the control system through such steps as the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, play an important role," Belousov said.

The minister also said the students and cadets of the academy had a high honor to receive education in one of the best military educational institutions of the country. "Your educational institution is a major scientific center. It conducts complex applied military research. Traditions of invention are being taken further. Unique specialists are being trained, whose knowledge is especially in demand in the conditions of modern military conflicts," he went on to say.

Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Viktor Goremykin also took part in the event.

The minister said the graduates of the academy will have to address the tasks of strengthening the army and navy in the future, developing the strategic missile forces, which serve as the country’s reliable nuclear shield and a guarantor of its national security.

After a dress parade dedicated to the beginning of the academic year, the minister heard reports from Strategic Missile Forces Commander Colonel General Sergey Karakayev, the head of the academy, Lieutenant General Igor Afonin, on the organization of the educational process at the institution and toured its training and other equipment.

Belousov was shown the classrooms where cadets and trainees are taught to operate and use modern and advanced missile systems, including the Yars, Avangard and Sarmat.

At the academy's research center, the minister was informed about key achievements in developing innovations in the interests of the Russian Armed Forces. Every year the academy completes more than 100 research works. As a result of scientific activities over the past five years, the academy has received 80 patents for inventions, most of which have been applied and implemented by the armed forces.

In the Center for Play-Based Learning, the minister was shown the university's capabilities to conduct various types of classes. The training uses information systems with multimedia capabilities and 3D modeling, along with modern simulation systems. Belousov also met with cadets and students of the academy.

In the new academic year, more than 4,000 cadets and about 200 students will study higher military tactical training at the Strategic Missile Forces Academy in the town of Balashikha near Moscow and its branch in the Moscow Region town of Serpukhov.