Russia cuts duration of draftee training
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree reducing the duration of combat training programs for conscripts from six to just four months, whereupon they may go on active duty at "hot spots", RIA Novosti reported.
The decree entered into force on Monday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in October that the armed forces will continue to rely on conscription in the coming years and there are no plans to do away with the draft anytime soon.
Contract service personnel will be deployed with units designated for the highest degree of readiness and those that employ complex and expensive technologies, such as the Navy, the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Defense Forces.
The number of contract service members is to increase by about 50,000 a year to 240,000 at the end of 2013, 295,000 in 2014, 350,000 in 2015, 400,000 in 2016 and 425,000 in 2017, when contractors will account for almost half of all military personnel.
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