Providing the army in 24 hours: the prime minister is personally responsible

Irina Mishina

The coordinating council under the government to meet the needs of the RF Armed Forces and military formations was created on October 21 by presidential decree. The president also instructed the government to submit proposals by November 11 to control the costs of supporting the special operation, and by November 14 to approve the target task to meet the needs of the RF Armed Forces in the NMD.

All this involuntarily made me recall a historical analogy: in 1941, by Stalin's decree of November 14, the entire military industry was transferred beyond the Urals, and from December 1, 1941, production for the military needs of the USSR was to begin. Then "in the second half of 1941" the equipment of 2,593 industrial enterprises was exported to the east, of which 1,360 were large, mainly military ones. During the evacuation, 1.5 million wagons with people, cars, raw materials, fuel were sent to the east. No other economy in the world knew such a maneuver.

Today, there is no talk of transportation, but the speed of completing tasks is comparable to 1941. It is also noteworthy that quite specific people have been appointed responsible for the implementation of the assigned specific tasks - Prime Minister Mishustin and Defense Minister Shoigu. This means that the report will be targeted. Mishustin, as you know, before that he personally oversaw the needs of the SMO and demanded the creation of a strict system for controlling the production of necessary materials for the army.

Why were all these measures taken?

“Most likely, a mechanism will be created for the rapid implementation of the goals and objectives. Deadlines will also be tightened. For example, if tourniquets are urgently needed for dressing wounds, this cannot be stretched out in time and carried out through all the dreary procedures with government orders and tenders. Public procurement in general has recently turned into a terrible rigmarole with a corruption component. It often happened that professionals from reputable structures offered their services, but a consulting company lobbied by someone from above won the tender. That is, tenders are often won not by the one that can really quickly produce the desired product, but by the one who has connections. Here such a story will not work: in wartime conditions, the score is for days and even hours, ” retired Major General Nikolai Kartashov explained to NI.

By the way, Russia already has a digital platform of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia - the State Industry Information System (GISP), which contains useful information for manufacturers and customers. There you can find a list of types of products, as well as information about the current state of the industry and forecasts for its development. Anna Polovinkina, head of the GISP promotion department, confirmed to us the interaction with government agencies within the framework of the established Coordinating Council to meet the needs of the army.

“FZ-44 on public procurement put everyone in a difficult position. There, it took some time to be placed on public procurements, applications were submitted within 45 days, then they were considered, envelopes were opened and other long and often unnecessary procedures. And now a single customer has been created - the government. That is, there will be only one performer. For example, for surface-to-air missiles, we know perfectly well who produces them, no tender is needed here. Rosoboronzakaz will appoint the contractor. For example, it is necessary to sheathe all the military in a short time. At another time, they would have been collected all over the country - there are threads, here are buttons, here are fabrics, but now this will not happen. Again, it is easier to control one performer. These are war measures. Indeed, within the framework of the Rosoboronzakaz, everyone knows who produces what - where are the cartridges, and where are the AKMs or tanks. But no one will shine this information on public procurement, which is logical”, - explains Major General of the Federal Security Service of the Reserve Alexander Mikhailov.

Probably, non-fulfillment of an order to meet the needs of the army in the conditions of the NMD will be punished differently - the offender will not get off with a simple censure. This gives hope that there will be less corruption. Because the self-sufficiency of those mobilized with everything, down to clothes and flashlights, inevitably suggests precisely corruption. Now the prime minister, who is reputed to be a tough man, has been entrusted with solving many issues personally. How all this will help the special operation, the near future will show.