02 February 2004 15:51
Low birth rate impedes Russian army transition to professional service
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Moscow, 2 February: Low birth rate in Russia badly affects implementation of the federal targeted programme of
transition to professional service, a source in the Defence Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday [2
February].
"The full abolition of conscription is impossible because of a low birth rate in Russia among other reasons. The
unfavourable demographic situation in the country already creates additional difficulties in transition to a contract
army," the source said.
"The low birth rate is among the major internal global threats to Russia," he stressed. About 145m people
are living in Russia at present, while an average global population rate for a territory of such scale is around
1.5-3bn, the source noted. "According to statistics, an average Russian family has 1.25 children. If current
demographic tendencies continue to prevail, the Russian population will shrink nearly by half after just one
generation," he said. "In addition, over 70 per cent of the 145m Russians live in the European part of the
country. At the same time, the natural resources of both Russia and the entire world will be mainly concentrated beyond
the Ural mountains in the second half of the 21st century," the source stressed.
"A population vacuum creates additional prerequisites for a potential rise in tension in the region, given such
a concentration natural resources of global importance," he said.
Speaking about the implementation of the state targeted programme of transition to professional service, the source
noted that 55 per cent of servicemen are professional. This figure includes officers and warrant officers, who are, in
fact, professionals.
"As to privates and sergeants, about 20 per cent of them are contracted already. The number of professionals
among privates and sergeants is to be brought up to 50 per cent. After that, it will be possible to reduce the
compulsory service terms. But conscription will not be abolished completely even in the future," the source
said.
[Interfax-AVN military news agency web site] |
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