Media: Russia to begin reorganizing army in Far East
The Russian Ministry of Defense intends to combine the naval aircraft and the anti-air defense forces of the Pacific Ocean Fleet as part of a powerful army with its headquarters in Kamchatka, Izvestia reports, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Defense Ministry announced that the formation of the air force and anti-air defense would begin in 2018. It will include aviation units, surface-to-air missiles and radio-technical troops. The division’s zone of responsibility will include the territory from the northern part of the Kuril Islands to Wrangel Island.
This will coincide with a change in the structure of the aviation forces.
“Instead of the amorphous and poorly controlled air bases created after the not entirely successful reforms of 2008, regiments and divisions will be recreated. The composition of the mixed aviation regiments, along with squadrons of anti-submarine and transport planes, fighters, reconnaissance planes and missile carriers, will include divisions of unmanned aircraft,” the news outlet writes.
The newspaper emphasizes that the new army will be created in order to monitor threats in its zone of responsibility, and prevent the possibility of a sudden air attack.