Russian airborne troops build combat potential to address new threats

… from  TASS,  Moscow

[ Editors Note:  We will continue to see a stream of these stories as Russia modernizes its military, and not for offense as US military liars pretend. Russia had cut back on military spending to concentrate on developing its civilian infrastructure and energy development and more trade relations anywhere it could, as a better use of their money.

It seems that this trend was deemed a threat, after the West looted its own population when its political class jumped into bed with international crime. The fact that Russia and China escaped their clutches required they be cast as bogeymen to hoodwink Western publics about a new threat to their safety.

But I question the huge investment in airborne troops, particularly for a country defending its borders. They must be supported by ground troops, armor and resupplied quickly, so you are generally better off having more border forces with prepositioned supplies, on a rotating basis.

Where everything can be seen today via the myriad of modern surveillance tools, you always have time to respond to a build up prior to an attack. For the time it takes to prep, pack and drop airborne troops with the proper pre-planning Intel, you could have transported them by ground in most cases. And 45,000 is a lot of them, but that said, Russia is a big country… Jim W. Dean ]

____________________

–  First published …  August 01, 2015  –

New threats and challenges of Russia’s security require a buildup of combat potential of the country’s airborne troops, Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu said on Friday.

“The country’s leaders and the defense ministry are sparing no effort to further build up combat potential of the airborne troops. It is a necessary measure stemming from the international military and political situation, new threats and challenges to our state,” Shoigu said at a gala party on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of Russia’s airborne troops.

The minister thanked Russia’s paratroopers for their courage and heroism. Their merits to the fatherlands will never be forgotten, he stressed.

“It is a great honor for us to have such attention from the country’s leadership and the army command we have always enjoyed,” Vladimir Shamanov, the commander of Russia’s airborne troops, said. “Over a short span of time, the airborne troops have made a real spurt to take a worthy place in our armed forces.”

The Airborne Troops Day is traditionally marked in Russia on August 2. On that day in 1930, a team of 12 paratroopers were for the first time parachuted during military exercises near the city of Voronezh in southern Russia. Now, the strength of Russia’s airborne troops stands at about 45,000 men.

Jim W. Dean

Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022.  He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.

• Read Full Complete Bio >>>
• Jim W. Dean Archives 2009-2015