Army Down to 1 Million

Oct. 31, 2010

The military has finished trimming down army personnel from 1.2 million to 1 million as part of its ongoing reform, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Sunday, Interfax reported.

Officers make up about 150,000 of the staff, and professional sergeants about 100,000 to 120,000, with the rest being conscripts, Serdyukov said in an interview with Rossia One state television.

He added that modernizing army equipment is the next stage of the reform, which will see about 70 percent of all weaponry replaced or upgraded by 2020.

Serdyukov also dismissed speculation that the term of mandatory army service may be increased from the current 12 months. (MT)

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