Putin sets task to further bolster Russian Nuclear Deterrence Forces potential in 2017
MOSCOW. Dec 22 (Interfax) - One of the most important tasks of maintaining national security is to strengthen the combat potential of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"In the coming year, the Defense Ministry will have to concentrate on tackling the following key tasks. First, [it is necessary to] ensure the balanced development of all services and branches of the armed forces, continue exploring high-precision weapons, modern means of communication, intelligence, control and radio-electronic warfare," Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry board on Thursday.
It is necessary to bolster the Strategic Nuclear Forces' combat potential "primarily by including in them missile systems able to reliably overpower existing and prospective missile defense systems," he said.
The strategic nuclear forces should also be taken to a qualitatively new level to be able to neutralize any military threats to Russia, the president said.
Secondly, it is important to maintain the pace of re-arming the army and the navy, to monitor efficiently the implementation of the state armament program and government defense contracts, Putin said.
By 2021 "the proportion of modern weapons and equipment in the troops should reach the set target of at least 70%," the president said.