New National Defense Control Center of Russia is now said to be "on permanent combat duty."

New National Defense Control Center of Russia is now said to be "on permanent combat duty." (Kremlin).

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN:Colleagues,

We are holding this Board meeting at the new National Defence Control Centre. The Centre is now on permanent combat duty. I congratulate you all on this event.

The Centre’s tasks include analysing and forecasting developments in the geopolitical situation and coordinating the authorities’ work in the defence sector. 

The new Centre’s capabilities will raise the quality of our armed forces’ command and the Centre will play a key part in our national defence and security system and will help to resolve the big tasks facing the armed forces.

Russia will always act consistently to protect its interests and sovereignty and will strive to strengthen international stability and support equal security for all countries and peoples.

At the same time, the situation in the world around us is not becoming any simpler. You all know about the USA’s plans to build a missile defence system. NATO has stepped up its activity too, including in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe.  

In this respect, I want to say that our military doctrine nevertheless remains unchanged and is exclusively defensive in nature, as you know. But we will defend our country’s security firmly and consistently.

Speaking this year and before this audience, I have to say a few words about the events in Crimea of course. I want to thank once again the heads of our Armed Forces and all of the personnel involved for their precise, restrained, and carefully weighed action and for their courage and professionalism during the events there.

You assuredly protected Crimea’s residents from great tragedy, from bloodshed and humanitarian disaster, and made it possible for them to express their free will as citizens in the referendum that took place.

Colleagues, recent events have shown that our army is changing, acquiring new features, becoming more modern, and is ready to carry out the most difficult and responsible missions. The results of the snap inspections carried out this year clearly showed this to be the case, as did the results demonstrated by the various units during the more than 3,500 training drills and exercises, the biggest of which were the Vostok 2014 exercises.

Let me note too that the state defence procurement programme for this year is practically completed. We spoke in more detail about this at the meeting just before on the common day for formal commissioning of defence industry goods.

Together with the qualitative development of the armed forces, it is also becoming more prestigious to serve in the army. This year, there are six people competing for every one place in some of the Defence Ministry academies. The number of contract servicemen has increased by more than 75,000 people. There is now real competition for the right to serve on contract in the armed forces as privates and sergeants. Most of the people applying are well-trained and motivated. More than two thirds of contract servicemen in 2014 have higher or vocational education.

This year, we have made adjustments to the Federal Law On Defence and drafted amendments to the Military Doctrine. Together with the defence plan approved on November 26, 2014, they will serve as the base for drafting short-, medium- and long-term planning documents.

Second, we must develop all components of our strategic nuclear forces, which play a very important part in maintaining global balance and essentially rule out the possibility of a large-scale attack against Russia. In 2015, the strategic nuclear forces will receive more than 50 intercontinental ballistic missiles. You can imagine what a powerful force this is. We must continue modernising our strategic aviation and put the two missile-carrying submarines Vladimir Monomakh and Alexander Nevsky on combat duty.

In the medium term through to 2021, we need to complete the transition to entirely modern arms for our ground-based nuclear forces, modernise the entire fleet of Tu-160 and Tu-95ms bombers, and also develop a new generation strategic bomber. 

Third, we need to complete the establishment of the Aerospace Defence Forces in 2015. Deployment of this new type of force will make it possible to use in better coordinated fashion our aviation, air defence and missile defence systems, thereby considerably raising the level of protection of Russia’s airspace.

Fourth is a quality reinforcement of defence in strategically important parts of the country such as the Arctic and other regions. 

The unified strategic command [in the Arctic] was established on December 15, based on the Northern Fleet. Next year will see the completion of military infrastructure on Novaya Zemlya, Kotelny and Wrangel islands, and Cape Schmidt. I ask you to keep these matters under your constant control.

Fifth, to maintain a high and constant level of combat readiness, we must continue the practice of snap inspections. Next year, they should extend to all military districts and branches of the armed forces, and also to the relevant federal and regional agencies and departments.

Furthermore, next year, we will hold the large-scale Russian-Belarusian tactical exercises Shchit Soyuza 2015, and the strategic command headquarters exercises Tsentr 2015, which will enable us to work through defence and security issues in the Central Asian region that is of crucial importance to Russia.  

It is important in general to strengthen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the CSTO. Read the full speech here.