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As he addressed top officers of the Russian Armed Forces, Mr Putin stressed several priorities of military development—streamlining the principles of recruiting, rearmament and modernising logistical support and social welfare.

The formation of professional permanent-readiness units must finish by 2007, he said. The Armed Forces had been reduced by more than a half in a complicated and painful process since 2002. No more reductions were intended, and the term of conscription service would be shortened.

Mr Putin stressed that Russia was consistently working to strengthen the international legal system and expand cooperation with other countries and with international organisations in the sphere of security. This did not mean that Russia should pay less attention to developing its own defence potential, let alone give up its development. Russia needs a strong army for prosperity and peaceful development. The army must be able to protect the country and its allies, the President said.

Nuclear deterrence forces should remain the foundation of Russian defence for a long time ahead. They maintained high combat-readiness, and plans to develop them were being implemented, Mr Putin said.

He said that Russia possessed a considerable arsenal of land-based strategic range missiles, unsurpassed for penetrating any defence systems, and explained that he meant non-operational SS-19 Stiletto missiles, each able to carry up to 10 warheads. Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin added at the President’s request that Russia possessed several hundred nuclear warheads.

Stilettos were to replace current operational weapons suffering from wear and tear. Russia thus had enough time to develop 21st century arsenals unhurriedly and on schedule. Mr Putin said that he would supervise the implementation of those plans.

He stressed that Russia was strictly complying with its international obligations on strategic offensive arms limitation and was willing to cooperate with all countries in the sensitive field of ABM as elsewhere.

Mr Putin deemed it necessary to carry on the consolidation of the defence industry and establish major competitive holding groups within it.

The General Staff was leading the development of the Russian Armed Forces, and the President said he hoped that it would cope with the task.