Vladimir Putin held a meeting with chief commanders of various military branches and with representatives of military-industrial firms. These meetings are held on an annual basis. The topic of discussion was the new State Arms Program, whose design is nearly completed. The President underlined how important it is to build up the country’s military infrastructure in a timely manner, so that there's space to store modern machinery. And here's the footage that we've obtained.
Putin: "Good evening, colleagues. Today, we begin our tenth regularly-scheduled series of meetings that includes the head personnel of the Ministry of Defense and representatives of the military-industrial complex. This practice, and this is our fifth year meeting in this format, has proved to be in high demand. Over 360 presidential orders have been issued as a result of these meetings. And their fulfillment was under special control. And this allowed us to more accurately coordinate the work and goals of the development of the military and the defense industry. To raise the level of responsibility of the firms fulfilling defense contracts, and to, most importantly, to provide a systematic build-up of the military's capabilities. Currently, we're in the final stages of forming a new State Arms Program. Its realization will in many ways define the combat readiness of various types of troops for the coming decade, in the long-term as well. It's important to carefully check all of our plans.
Our army and navy must be equipped with the most modern weapons, with military and specialized machinery, which also account for the possible changes in strategy and tactics of military fighting in the future. In their characteristics, they need to be at the level of — and better yet — exceed their foreign counterparts, because if we want to be ahead and if we want to win, we must be better. The program's key indicators must, first of all, provide a guaranteed strategic restraint. And in the case of a potential external threat, yield its effective neutralization. Obviously, the Arms Program's fulfillment will depend on the capabilities of the defense enterprises, scientific, and research centers.
It's not only important to stay on top of the development of promising technologies, and defense test-pieces corresponding to Ministry of Defense requirements, but to also be ready to launch them into production without delays and obstructions. Aside from defense inventory design and creation, the new program must also pay special attention to synchronizing military equipment production with the construction of military infrastructure. We've already discussed this. This will ensure the proper storage and use of the equipment, as well as housing and training for the personnel deployed for its operation".
