The youngish, little-known general whom President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly appointed to advise him on the country's mammoth defense industry and state arms procurement should give the president a fresh look on the state of the ailing sector, industry players and analysts said Monday.
Major General Alexander Burutin, 47, who was appointed Saturday, has worked in the General Staff of the armed forces since 1992. He came to Putin's attention in March 2002 when he took part in a meeting the president held with a group of scientists and military specialists in the Siberian town of Baikalsk while on a ski trip, Russian newspapers reported Monday.
He seems to have impressed Putin with his professional qualifications and his appearance. Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote that Burutin is "fit and trim," more like a NATO general than the usual stout, short-of-breath Russian variety, which struck a chord with the athletic president.
Unlike many of the men Putin has appointed to top defense and security-related posts, Burutin is not from the St. Petersburg chekist clan, which analysts say is a good sign.
"It shows that the president has begun to trust professionals and not just people from his clan," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, an independent think tank.
Burutin is coming into his new job at a time when the vast defense industry is going through a painful restructuring as part of a poorly thought-out reform program. Under the program adopted in late 2001, the number of defense enterprises, originally 1,700, is to be cut in half, with the remaining companies to be herded into 30 to 50 holdings.
Little has been achieved so far, and the reform has not been without infighting.
Competition for defense contracts also has led to battles between the military, arms producers and exporters and various clans within the government.
The fact that Burutin has no affiliation with any of the parties may work to his and Putin's advantage, observers say.
"He does not belong to any of the clans in the defense industry and this is his strong point," said Vadim Solovyov, managing editor of Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, a respected defense weekly.
"Yet on the other hand it is a drawback as he does not know the specifics of the industry; he's just been shifting regiments on the map," Solovyov said, adding that it will take three years at most for Burutin to become part of one of the defense industry groups.
An official at one defense company also said it was understandable why Putin has turned to someone like Burutin.
"It looks like the president needs a fresh look from a specialist who is not affiliated," said the official, speaking on condition he not be identified. "He must be tired of the infighting and corruption that permeates the Defense Ministry, the Industry, Science and Technology Ministry and agencies such as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, which lobby the interests of this or that company."
The official said Burutin will have a tough job. "He will now be heavily attacked by various producers trying to get him to support their programs. I feel sorry for him."
Pukhov said Burutin's appointment shows that Putin is anxious to find people to deal with defense industry reform and streamlining arms procurement.
The former deputy prime minister in charge of defense issues, Ilya Klebanov, whom Putin demoted to industry, science and technology minister, has seen his formerly impressive clout diminished even further.
The power of the deputy defense minister in charge of arms procurement, Alexei Moskovsky, also has been fading, defense analysts said.
How much weight Burutin will have remains to be seen.
"It looks as if he's been invited as an expert and not as an apparatus player," Pukhov said. "Here a lot depends on how he acts. He may acquire weight and enough influence for control." But Pukhov said it is more likely that he will go the way of Putin's adviser on aviation matters, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, who has not made his mark in any way.
Alexei Mukhin, director of the Center for Political Information, said history has shown that no matter what the adviser's stance, it is Putin who decides in the end. "Putin's economic advisor Andrei Illarionov has shed his positions on [UES CEO Anatoly] Chubais and UES restructuring," Mukhin said.
Although Burutin's job description at the moment is somewhat vague, in addition to overlooking the defense industry and state arms procurement, he also is likely to deal with arms sales, the analysts said. Arms sales are monopolized by state-owned Rosoboronexport and the State Committee on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries.
Rosoboronexport deputy chief Sergei Chemezov was widely rumored to be in line to become Putin's adviser on arms sales.
The chairman of the League of Assistance to Defense Companies, Anatoly Dolgolaptev, said the defense industry has long pushed to have a man in the Kremlin to resolve their problems.
"The current program of the industry's reform and the armament program do little to ensure effective national defense and security," he said. "In this situation we think that this nomination is the right step."
Major General Alexander Burutin, 47, who was appointed Saturday, has worked in the General Staff of the armed forces since 1992. He came to Putin's attention in March 2002 when he took part in a meeting the president held with a group of scientists and military specialists in the Siberian town of Baikalsk while on a ski trip, Russian newspapers reported Monday.
He seems to have impressed Putin with his professional qualifications and his appearance. Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote that Burutin is "fit and trim," more like a NATO general than the usual stout, short-of-breath Russian variety, which struck a chord with the athletic president.
Unlike many of the men Putin has appointed to top defense and security-related posts, Burutin is not from the St. Petersburg chekist clan, which analysts say is a good sign.
"It shows that the president has begun to trust professionals and not just people from his clan," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, an independent think tank.
Burutin is coming into his new job at a time when the vast defense industry is going through a painful restructuring as part of a poorly thought-out reform program. Under the program adopted in late 2001, the number of defense enterprises, originally 1,700, is to be cut in half, with the remaining companies to be herded into 30 to 50 holdings.
Little has been achieved so far, and the reform has not been without infighting.
Competition for defense contracts also has led to battles between the military, arms producers and exporters and various clans within the government.
The fact that Burutin has no affiliation with any of the parties may work to his and Putin's advantage, observers say.
"He does not belong to any of the clans in the defense industry and this is his strong point," said Vadim Solovyov, managing editor of Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, a respected defense weekly.
"Yet on the other hand it is a drawback as he does not know the specifics of the industry; he's just been shifting regiments on the map," Solovyov said, adding that it will take three years at most for Burutin to become part of one of the defense industry groups.
An official at one defense company also said it was understandable why Putin has turned to someone like Burutin.
"It looks like the president needs a fresh look from a specialist who is not affiliated," said the official, speaking on condition he not be identified. "He must be tired of the infighting and corruption that permeates the Defense Ministry, the Industry, Science and Technology Ministry and agencies such as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, which lobby the interests of this or that company."
The official said Burutin will have a tough job. "He will now be heavily attacked by various producers trying to get him to support their programs. I feel sorry for him."
Pukhov said Burutin's appointment shows that Putin is anxious to find people to deal with defense industry reform and streamlining arms procurement.
The former deputy prime minister in charge of defense issues, Ilya Klebanov, whom Putin demoted to industry, science and technology minister, has seen his formerly impressive clout diminished even further.
The power of the deputy defense minister in charge of arms procurement, Alexei Moskovsky, also has been fading, defense analysts said.
How much weight Burutin will have remains to be seen.
"It looks as if he's been invited as an expert and not as an apparatus player," Pukhov said. "Here a lot depends on how he acts. He may acquire weight and enough influence for control." But Pukhov said it is more likely that he will go the way of Putin's adviser on aviation matters, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, who has not made his mark in any way.
Alexei Mukhin, director of the Center for Political Information, said history has shown that no matter what the adviser's stance, it is Putin who decides in the end. "Putin's economic advisor Andrei Illarionov has shed his positions on [UES CEO Anatoly] Chubais and UES restructuring," Mukhin said.
Although Burutin's job description at the moment is somewhat vague, in addition to overlooking the defense industry and state arms procurement, he also is likely to deal with arms sales, the analysts said. Arms sales are monopolized by state-owned Rosoboronexport and the State Committee on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries.
Rosoboronexport deputy chief Sergei Chemezov was widely rumored to be in line to become Putin's adviser on arms sales.
The chairman of the League of Assistance to Defense Companies, Anatoly Dolgolaptev, said the defense industry has long pushed to have a man in the Kremlin to resolve their problems.
"The current program of the industry's reform and the armament program do little to ensure effective national defense and security," he said. "In this situation we think that this nomination is the right step."
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