Throughout human history, the military power of the state has been crucial in political dominance and economic development. With the help of armies, states and peoples resolved emerging differences and sought economic preferences. However, the primary declared task of any military force is to ensure the security and protection of civilians. Although armies today occupy an important place in international relations, their use is limited by a large number of international treaties and agreements.
Russian Armed Forces
Officially, all branches and types of troops of the country are collectively called the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. According to the laws existing in the country, Russia needs the military to ensure the integrity and inviolability of the territory and to fulfill international obligations assumed by the country's leadership in accordance with international agreements.
A distinctive feature of the military forces of the Russian Federation is the possession of one of the world's largest arsenals of weapons of mass destruction, which includes nuclear weapons. NuclearRussia's arsenal is second only to America's in size. For the effective use of these weapons, the Russian army has a variety of means of delivering them to enemy territory.
Russian Air Force
The Air Force of modern Russia traces its history back to the Imperial Air Fleet, which existed from 1910 to 1917. The creation of the air fleet was preceded by a long work of scientists and engineers under the leadership of Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky, who created the first aerodynamic institute in the Moscow region. In 1910, the latest aircraft were purchased from the French, and from that moment the development of the Russian air fleet began.
The Air Force flourished during the Soviet Union, when numerous models of fighters, attack aircraft and bombers were created, including strategic ones, designed to deliver nuclear charges.
In the nineties of the XX century, the air force began to actively degrade, which was expressed in a decrease in the quality of training of personnel, obsolescence of equipment and the cessation of strategic development due to a sharp decrease in the level of funding. However, already in the 21st century, interest in new developments in the field of aviation gradually began to revive, pilots got the opportunity to train more often and make training sorties, and engineers set about developing new generation aircraft. In 2015, the Air Force became part of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
NavyRF
One of the important components of the military forces of Russia is the Navy, which is the successor to the Navy of the USSR and the Russian Empire. The modern fleet of Russia is divided into the following large associations: the B altic, Pacific, Black Sea, Northern fleets, and also includes the Caspian flotilla.
The Navy includes submarine, surface forces, naval aviation, as well as marines and coastal defense forces. The main purpose of the Russian fleet is to protect the territory from attack from the water, ensure the security of sea lanes, as well as deliver surprise strikes on enemy territory.
Like other units of the Russian military forces, the navy can take part in international operations that meet the interests of the state, as well as in joint exercises with the fleets of other countries. The largest events in which the Russian Navy takes part are the anti-terrorist operation in Syria and the fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa.
Navy strength and composition
The navy reached its peak of power and strength in the 1980s, when the number of ships in the fleet reached 1561. In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a significant reduction in the number of flotillas. As a result, there are 136 ships in the fleet for 2010. However, several more large cruisers are in development and on the stocks.
The composition of the modern navy is diverse and includes both coast guard boats and heavy missile boatscruisers capable of autonomous navigation for many months. However, one of the most important parts of the Russian fleet is its submarine component. Nuclear submarine missile-carrying cruisers serve as a guarantee of the security of the Russian statehood, guaranteeing a retaliatory nuclear strike against the enemy.
The plan for the strategic development of the fleet mentions the design and construction of aircraft-carrying cruisers, which will become the core of an aircraft carrier group modeled on the American ones. However, until now this project remains only on paper, and Russia has the only aircraft-carrying cruiser, which has been under modernization since 2017.
Air and missile defense
Existing as a separate service until 1998, anti-missile and air defense were attached to the Air Force in order to streamline and save money.
In air defense, both missile systems and air formations are used. Air defense has its own radio intelligence and means for early detection. The troops and navy have their own anti-aircraft forces and assets.
Missile defense is part of the defensive doctrine of the Russian Federation and is designed to protect the country from a strategic nuclear strike by the enemy.
Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces
Strategic nuclear forces are the part of the Russian Armed Forces that has nuclear missile weapons as its main armament. According to the latest edition of the defensedoctrine of the country, Russia can use nuclear weapons in response to the use of any type of weapons of mass destruction or conventional weapons against it, but in cases where such use threatens the very existence of the Russian state.
Strategic nuclear forces are evenly distributed between the Navy, Air Force and ground forces. Russia has intercontinental missiles equipped with nuclear warheads both on submarine nuclear cruisers and silo-based missiles.
Military welfare
All the might of the Russian armed forces would have no value if it were not for the people who serve in the Russian army. One of the most important points in the reform carried out since the beginning of the 2000s is the increase in the prestige of the military profession.
In order to make service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation attractive, the state takes care of the social security of the military, both active and retired military pensioners. People serve for Russia and the armed forces not in vain, as they receive appropriate allowances, benefits, social housing, and a special pension.
