The Russian Federation Navy: An Assessment of its Strategic ...

The Evolving Trajectory of Russian Grand StrategyThe context for the modernisation of the Russian Armed Forces and within this, theambitious plans for naval expansion, is provided by Russia’s evolving grand strategicperspective. This is most clearly elucidated in the National Security Strategy of the RussianFederation until 2020, published in May 2009. This document provides the basis for Russianstatecraft. A revised foreign policy concept was promulgated in 2008 but is consistent withthe position established by the National Security Strategy. The central tenet of the NationalSecurity Strategy is the establishment of Russia ‘as a world power which seeks to maintainstrategic stability and mutually beneficial partnership in a multipolar [sic] world’. This is to beachieved on the basis of the combination of economic, diplomatic and military instruments ofpower, rather than a dependence on the military instrument. The Foreign Policy Concept ofthe Russian Federation states in this regard:Together with the military power of States, economic, scientific andtechnological, environmental, demographic and informational factors are comingto the fore as major factors of influence of the state on international affairs. Ofincreasing influence are: ... balance of educational, scientific and productionresources; general level of investment in human capital; efficient use ofmechanisms governing global markets of goods and services, diversifiedeconomic relations; comparative advantages of States in integrationprocesses... 23This is indicative of the central importance of economic and geo-economic factors in Russianstrategy and the identification of economic security as a core facet of national security. Thisis especially so with regard to the international energy market and highlights the closecorrelation of political, economic and strategic factors in Russian foreign and security policy.This in turn, is a reflection of a wider pragmatism and national interests-based approachRussia defines as: ‘a key subject of an emerging multipolar [sic] international relations’. 24This provides the context for the expansion of Russia’s horizons beyond the immediate post-Soviet space; for example, the Foreign Policy Concept states:The interests of Russia are directly connected to other global tendencies, interalia: ... development of regional and subregional [sic] integration in the area ofthe Community of Independent States (CIS), in the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions, in Africa and Latin America. 25The consolidation of Russian global influence is also a key driver of its policy of multi-lateralengagement, in particular through organisations such as the Shanghai CooperationOrganisation, the Brazil-Russia-India-China grouping, the Group of Eight and Group ofTwenty, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In addition, the National SecurityStrategy reaffirms the importance of the United Nations, and particularly the UN SecurityCouncil (UNSC) as forming a ‘central element of a stable system of international relations,based on – respect, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation among States, based oncivilized political instrument for the global and regional crises’. 26 Further, the NationalSecurity Strategy states that the maintenance of strategic stability can be enhanced via thepresence of Russian military forces in conflict zones and considers peacekeeping operationsan effective instrument for conflict resolution. 27 The stressing of the importance of strategicstability as provided by the framework of the UN/UNSC, the commitment to utilise theRussian Armed Forces to contribute toward strategic stability and the reference to ‘unilateralforce in international relations approaches’ (that is, US/Western unilateralism) 28 is23 The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, 2008, p. 3.24 The National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, p. 1.25 The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, p. 5.26 The National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, p. 4.27 Ibid., p. 18.28 Ibid., p. 3.4