Issue Paper: Russian Military R&D. Are the Regions Taking Charge?

Abstract

As U.S. military planners attack the issue of downsizing forces, one of the most pressing questions they face is the future of Russian weapons acquisition and military R&D. No matter that the Cold War is over and that a chaotic, impoverished Russia is no longer the threat it once was, the substantial remnants of the defense industry of the former Soviet Union (FSU) cannot be casually dismissed. A justified uneasiness remains among U.S. defense planners concerning the ability of the Russian military-industrial complex to resurrect its former destructive potential. The world's current attention is concentrated on the immediate issue of arms exports as Russia, Ukraine, and other nations of the former Soviet Union conduct a "yard sale" of "surplus" military equipment and technology. Of even greater import, however, is the question of the long-term Russian potential to develop a military-industrial base capable of producing and exporting state-of-the-art weaponry, potentially in competition with Western companies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA429340

Entities

People

  • Claire M. Levy
  • Sharon Leiter

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Budgets
  • Case Studies
  • Cold War
  • Defense Industry
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Manufacturing
  • Military Doctrine
  • Military Equipment
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • Organizational Structure
  • Production
  • United States
  • Ussr

Fields of Study

  • Economics

Readers

  • Economics
  • Strategic Security Studies