Every fifth officer will be dismissed
Nearly every fifth of Russian higher officers failed to meet attestation requirements in a recently held test and will be dismissed. A total of 36-37 000 officers will be dismissed from the Russian Armed Forces in 2009.
In a recently conducted unsheduled qualification test of Russian officers, almost every fifth failed to meet the necessary requirements and will be laid off. Of 249 tested higher officers – generals and deputizing generals, 50 were decided to be dismissed, while 133 were to be replaced to other positions.
These figures were given by Deputy Minister of Defence, Army General Nikolay Pankov on a press conference yesterday. According to the general, the Minister of Defence decided to conduct the qualification test because “we have no intentions to keep officers that are not qualified to keep their positions and the high title of officer in our forces”, RIA Novosti writes.
- Already a considerable number of officers have failed to meet requirements corresponding to their position and will be dismissed, Pankov said.
85 percent of all officers and 70 percent of the warrant officers have been tested so far.
According to reform plans, by 2016 the number of personnel will be reduced from 1,1 million to 1 million in peace time and 1,9 millions in war time. The officers corps which today amounts to of 355 000 persons and constitutes about 35 percent of the total personnel, will be halved to make up 15 percent of the total staff, web site Newsru.com writes. A total of 36-37 000 officers will be dismissed from the Russian Armed Forces in 2009.
