Plan for contract servicemen fulfilled by 120% in 2013 - Shoigu
MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax-AVN) - The number of contract servicemen serving as privates and sergeants will reach 240,000 before the end of 2014, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
"Our calculations show that the Armed Forces need 499,200 contract servicemen by 2020. Next year, the number of contract servicemen serving as privates and sergeants is expected to reach 240,000, which is in line with the supply of weapons and equipment," Shoigu said at a meeting in the Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
Shoigu said that over 77,000 contract servicemen were hired in Russia in 2013. "The plan has been fulfilled by 120%. The number of people from the said category of servicemen will reach 220,000 by the end of this year," he said.
"The percentage of contract servicemen will increase and the percentage of conscripts will decrease as high-tech weapons and military equipment are provided to the troops," the minister said.