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General Staff

The General Staff is a major link in the centralization of the Russian national command authority. It provides staff support and acts as the executive agency for the Supreme High Command. The forces in various theaters report through it to the Supreme High Command and the Supreme CINC. Contrary to the United States tradition of military authority derived strictly from the civilian sector, Russian General Staff officers exercise command authority in their own right.

The General Staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation (further is - a General Staff) is the central organ of the Arms Forces Administration and the basic organ of operational management of the armed forces of the Russian Federation (further there are - armed forces), which achieves coordination the activities of organs and troops of the federal boundary service of the Russian Federation, internal troops of the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs, railroad troops of the Russian Federation, troops Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information with the President of the Russian Federation, troops of civil defense, technical-engineering and roadbuilding military formations of the Russian Federation, Russian Federal Foreign Intelligence Service, organs of the federal security service, federal organs of government connection and information, federal organs of state protection, federal organ of the guarantee of mobilization preparation of the organs of the power of the state of the Russian Federation (further are named - other troops, military formations and organs) on the accomplishment of mission in the region of defense. The General Staff consists of main administrations, administrations and other structural subdivisions.

The staff is organized by functions, with each directorate and operating agency overseeing a functional area, generally indicated by the organization's title. During the Soviet era the General Staff consisted of four staff directorates. These were the main directorates for operations; intelligence; communications; and organization and mobilization. By 1996 the General Staff included fifteen main directorates and an undetermined number of operating agencies. In the late 1990s the Directorate of the Commander in Chief of the Land Force was abolished and the Main Directorate of the Land Force and the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Armed Forces were established.

Working with the staffs of each of the services, the Main Operations Directorate drafts detailed plans for strategic operations for the Supreme High Command. Once the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command approves the plans, the General Staff issues them to operational commanders as Supreme High Command directives. Because of the uncertainties of combat, the General Staff continually reevaluates and refines these directives. Its Main Organization and Mobilization Directorate determines the assets the force needs to perform strategic operations.

Like the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff is dominated by the Ground Forces. In wartime the General Staff would become the executive agent of the Supreme High Command, supervising the execution of military strategy and operations by subordinate commands. The General Staff would exercise direct control over the combat arms of the armed forces that operate strategic nuclear weapons and would coordinate the activities and missions of the armed services.

The Rear Services supplied the armed forces with ammunition, fuel, spare parts, food, clothing, and other matιriel. In 1989 the chief of the Rear Services had nine main and central directorates and four supporting services under his command. The deputy commanders in chief for rear services of the armed services, the deputy commanders for rear services of territorial commands, and nearly 1.5 million soldiers reported to him.

The Central Military Transportation Administration was the primary traffic management organization for the armed forces, coordinating and planning supply movements by all means of transport. The Central Food Supply Administration both procured food from civilian agricultural enterprises and operated a military state farm (see Glossary) system to supply troops, particularly those serving in remote areas. Similarly, the Central Clothing Supply Administration had its own clothing factories to manufacture uniforms and specialized gear. The main and central directorates operated post exchange, health care, and recreational facilities for military personnel. The Rear Services also provided financial reports on armed forces activities.

The chief of the Rear Services commanded the Railroad Troops, Road Troops, Pipeline Troops, and Automotive Troops. The mission of these supporting service was to construct and maintain the Soviet Union's military transport infrastructure. The Automotive Troops, for example, provided the drivers and mechanics needed to maintain and drive cargo trucks loaded with supplies from railheads to operational units in the field. After the initial airlift of Soviet forces and equipment into Afghanistan in December 1979, these troops built permanent rail lines, roads, and pipelines between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan to resupply the Soviet forces in that country.

In April 2002 the Defense Ministry initiated a new streamlining of the staff structure in the supreme command of the Armed Forces. The changes were in line with President Vladimir Putin's demands concerning reduction of the administration staff and expenses on its maintenance that were voiced in his address to the Federal Assembly (parliament). In accordance with restructuring plans, ranks that correspond to most posts of generals in the Defense Ministry and General Staff were lowered, and some of the posts currently held by generals were held by colonels after the reduction. Almost 90 percent of posts of chiefs of main and central departments in the ministry and General Staff correspond to the rank of lieutenant general. Deputy chiefs hold the rank of major general. A total number of deputy chiefs was reduced. The new staff structure start functioning on 01 June 2002. In addition to the Defense Ministry and General Staff, staff restructuring was effected in commands of armed services, About 200 posts of generals were abolished as a result of the reform.

As of mid-2003 Anatoly Kvashnin was said to be slated to be removed from position of Chief of the General Staff. To all appearances, everybody was tired of his inconsistent moves related to army reformation. By his proposal the combat arms of RVSN, the Space Forces and the Missile-Space Defense Forces were merged into the new force - the RVSN. By 2003 this phase of a military reform had been admitted fallacious and the Space Forces and the Space Defense Forces had again become independent forces. The RVSN had also lost its status of a force (it became an independent combat arm). The Ground Forces Main Command was disbanded in 1998. It was restored in 2001 and the status of the Main Ground Forces Commander was brought to the level of deputy defense minister.

On 11 June 2004 the Russian Duma passed a law that gave Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov operational control of the army. The lower house of parliament deleted most of the responsibilities of the General Staff, which was taken out of the direct chain of command and given a more advisory role. The move appeared to strengthen civilian control of the military. The Defense Ministry and the General Staff battled for over a decade for control of Russian military operations and army financing.

Kvashnin was dismissed and General of the Army Yuri Baluyevsky was appointed Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Prime Minister in July 2004. In 1993, Baluyevsky had been sent to Transcaucasia where he served as First Deputy Commander, Group of Russian Forces, till 1995. In June 1995, Yuri BALUYEVSKIY returned to the General Staff taking the posts of Chief of Directorate and Deputy Chief of Generall Strategic Directorate. Assuming the office of Chief at the General Strategic Directorate, August, 1997, Mr. BALUYEVSKIY simultaneously took the post of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff where he served till July, 2004, when he was delegated the powers and responsibilities of Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Minister of Defence.