Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

armor, like T-62 tanks <strong>and</strong> old BMPs. 15 The result was
equipment breakdowns during the war, resulting in a
longer conflict. 16
The Russians also experienced “one of the biggest
surprises” of the 2008 war in their loss of aircraft
against an enemy who, while not defenseless, could
not be expected to sustain combat against the betterequipped
Russians. Georgian air defenses accounted
for only two of Russia’s six downed airplanes, while
three suffered from friendly fire <strong>and</strong> one was shot
down by unknown causes. 17 The friendly fire casualties
demonstrate significant comm<strong>and</strong>-<strong>and</strong>-control
problems in implementing the battle plan, according
to one specialist. But the high ratio of those to the
Georgian-caused downings also calls into question
notions of effective Georgian air defenses. 18 At any
rate, the Russians seem to have wrought more havoc
upon themselves than did the Georgians.
It should be no surprise that military reform efforts
began soon after the conclusion of the 5-day war with
Georgia. The process of reform is ongoing. It includes,
as mentioned, plans to reduce the military’s size to
one million soldiers <strong>and</strong> also to increase the number of
noncommissioned officers. Generally, it comprises a
three-tier plan, according to Minister of Defense Anatoly
Serdyukov, that is to last from 2011 to 2020. The
first stage is being conducted now, he claims, with the
previously mentioned staff issues. The second stage
will include “social issues,” possibly hazing <strong>and</strong> the
care of troops, while the final stage will deal with
acquiring more modern armaments. As Serdyukov
states, the final stage will be the most difficult:
Armament supplies are quite a long process. We have
divided it into two parts. At the first stage, which will
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