[War] Russia: "Initiative 18"

[Michael Downey]

"Initiative 18"
President Leonid Nemerenko
Russian Federation
21 February 2013
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Dawn at high altitudes was a very touching site, especially in the
highly Northern reaches near Moscow. Nemerenko considered asking the
pilot of the modified KA-60 helicopter he, the Minister of Defence and
several FSO agents rode in to steer the chopper so he could get a
better look. Presidential prerogative. But he had business to attend
to and delaying it would be unseemly for a leader.

"Are we going to give some sort of official statement on the situation
in North Korea?" Minister Lentulov asked Nemerenko. The Defence
Minister sat opposite the President in the Kamov's cabin. "The most
major military operation since the Iraq War is happening right on our
Eastern doorstep. Plus the Americans and the Europeans might be
expecting some sort of response or reaction from us."

"The Chinese can do whatever they want in or to North Korea as far as
I am concerned," answered Nemerenko. "It removes a serious threat to
the security of the Far East region, saves us the trouble of getting
our own hands dirty, and keeps the PLA so occupied that it no longer
represents a threat to our Siberian border, or a possible strike at
our interests in Kazakhstan.. I'll have the Foreign Ministry draft a
letter of endorsement to be publicly released."

"The UN won't be happy. There was no consultation on the part of the
Chinese. You're supposed to get approval from the Security Council for
something like this. At the very least Beijing could have trumped up
some reason to invoke an Article 51 situation under the UN Charter,
but they didn't. We might be held accountable as well for supporting
them."

"What are they going to do, send me an angry letter?" noted Nemerenko
with a sardonic grin. "None of the other Big Five have actually come
out and condemned China's actions, so no one else in the international
community will either. The South Koreans I suppose, maybe Japan. But
as I said, China has done us a favor."

"And if they ask us for our support?"

"That I doubt. If Hong wanted our support she would have asked for it
already, and their less-than-neighborly behavior as of late makes it
even less likely that they'll try and garner our direct involvement.
Still, we are still technically allies. Have the GRU forward all the
intelligence we have on North Korea to the PLA's Intelligence
Directorate. Profiles for major military and political leaders,
suspected WMD storage sites, everything that might be of value."

It was in Russia's interest for the Chinese to be swift and successful
in North Korea. Might as well give them a hand.

"We will be landing soon," the pilot said from the cockpit. Nemerenko nodded.

"You know, just because the 2nd Guards muster at dawn does not mean we
have to conduct the inspection at dawn," quipped Lentulov. He was not
accustomed to such early excursions and it showed around his eyes.

"The military is very important to both the external defence and
internal stability of this country, Ivan. I must show the troops that
we take them and their institution seriously."

The 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division was one of the most elite
formations in the Russian Army and was the model unit for the new
upgrade program about to be undertaken by the armed forces.
'Initiative 18' was the official title given to the project by the
Defence Ministry, as in '2018.' The plan was to put the armed forces,
or at least the Army, back on a par with the PLA, US Army and EU
militaries within five years. Ambitious, expensive, but important and
necessary.

The Kamov touched down smoothly and nearest FSO agent hopped out and
did a quick visual inspection of the area before nodding for the
President to disembark. To both the left and right were lines of
fully-armed infantry soldiers. This was the first time Nemrenko was
able to see the new standard soldier loadout first hand.

The Red Army and Russian Army had never really put much emphasis on
the survivability of the individual soldier. They were all just cannon
fodder, meant to defeat enemies with a crush of numbers. For that
reason, things such as helmets, body armor and tactical harnesses used
by Russian troops were notably inferior to that of their NATO
counterparts. During the wargame in Siberia, many soldiers had taken
note of the much better quality of personal protection the American
soldiers had.

Part of Initiative 18 was to remodel the Russian Army's battle
doctrine to emphasize maneuverability over attrition, and better
survivability for its troops. So the basic equipment of soldiers had
been completely changed.

The AK-74 was now finally being phased out. Due to high cost and poor
ergonomics the AN-94 had never materialized as the new standard issue
combat rifle of the Russian military. After some rethinking and
pressure from the Kremlin, the military had finally selected the
AEK-971 as the new standard service rifle. It had the rugged
reliability of the venerable AK-74 but had taken notes on range and
accuracy from the M-16. Though it would take at least a year for every
combat unit in the Army, Navy, VDV and Air Force to be reequipped with
the AEK, the 2nd Guards had already traded in their old guns.
Nemerenko also noted that the Army had included a red-dot reflex sight
as standard on all rifles.

The BDUs and body armor had been changed as well. Imitation was
quicker than innovation and the Defence Ministry had borrowed very
heavily from the West in its thinking. The new standard BDU were
similar, though noticeably different to a trained soldier, to the
Bundeswehr's. It wouldn't be the first time they'd copied the Germans.

For armor, the military had adapted the 'Dragon Skin' design developed
in the United States, having been impressed by its performance while
unofficially in use by US forces during the Iraq War to replace the
SMK design the had become obsolete thirty years ago. The new combat
helmet also took inspiration from the US Arm's ACH design appearance,
through with material composition similar to the French SPECTRA
helmet.

The troops did look rather impressive with their new arms and
uniforms. But a few new toys for one elite division did not make up
for almost twenty years of degradation, under-funding and
mismanagement. That took real effort, and time.

Nemerenko offered a light salute to the troops as he proceeded away
from the Kamov, which they returned with much more crispness.

 Eventually Nemerenko and his procession reached the real area of
events for this morning. A platform had been set up with a podium at
the center front, from which he was to give a speech on the Initiative
18 project. More troops, these ones unarmed, sat in the audience with
news media already set up to record the presentation.

"Mr. President," said Colonel-General Amir Rezakaev, the
newly-appointed Chief of the General Staff as Nemerenko stepped up
onto the raised platform. Several other colonels and unit commanders
from the 2nd Guards were present as well.

"General," replied the President. He offered Rezakaev his hand. "I
know that you spearheaded much of the planning for our new project.
Good work. I take it you left everything in order in Siberia?"

"Ulamov is adjusting to his new position well. I think he can keep
things running smoothly."

Nemerenko nodded and approached the stadium. He had memorized his
written speech as best he could, but as always just made up what he
couldn't remember. He found it gave a sound of sincerity to his words.

"Soldiers of the Russian Army," he began. "We stand at a great and
opportune time for our armed forces. After years of both internal and
external struggle it is finally within our means to rebuild the
Russian military into the great and mighty defender of the Motherland
that it once was and will be again.

"The focus of the Initiative 18 plan is the individual soldier; the
life and blood of any military institution. To begin, the Ministry of
Defence will readjust the salary of all enlisted men and officers for
all branches of the armed services to the same levels enjoyed by the
US and EU militaries. The armed forces will begin providing full
medical coverage for soldiers, their spouse and their children.

"Investments will be made into the housing and medical care of our
troops. Garrisons, barracks, family accommodations and all military
medical treatment and care centers will be fully rebuilt and
refurbished to the highest quality, providing well-deserved
accommodations and care for troops and dependents.

"Lastly, the T90 battle tank, BTR-90 APC and BMP-3 IFV will all go
into immediate mass-production for the Russian Army and VDV. It is the
goal of the Initiative 18 project to replace all outdated T80, BTR-80
and BMP-2 vehicles still in service by many formations within five
years."

The crowed seemed pleased, which their applaud indicated. The average
pay for an American or European enlisted private was almost five
thousand US Dollars more than the per capita income of most Russians,
despite the country's recent economic gains. To be given comparable
pay along with full medical care for one's family would be a huge
boost to moral. Not to mention the pride of finally having up-to-date
equipment at long last. Apart from the pay increase the changes would
not be immediate; even first echelon and Guard units were still using
T80s and even T72s, among other things. But every big journey started
with one step, right?
---

Actions:
1) Russia will endorse China's invasion of North Korea
2) Have the GRU share any relevant intelligence with the PLA.
3) Introduce the Initiative 18 Plan:
	*Emphasis upon the welfare and survivability of the individual soldier
	*Introduce new uniforms, more effective body armor and helmets, and
replace 	sidearms and service rifles with more modern equipment
	*Adjust pay of all enlisted soldiers and officers to be comparable
with the US and 	EU military forces
	*Full medical coverage for the spouse and children of soldiers
	*Refurbish all barracks, military family housing and military
hospitals to the best 	quality for a modern military
	*Begin full adoption of the T90 MBT, BTR-90 APC and BMP-3 IFV for all
	Russian Army and VDV units to be completed within five years.