Russia to cut army to 1 mln, vows cash to officers

By Dmitry Solovyov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it would cut its army by over 10 percent by 2013, accelerating a drive to create a more effective, mobile force with a slimmed down officer corps.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, clearly sensitive to any discontent within the forces' leadership, tempered his announcement with promises of bonuses for officers and steps to ease the pain of those leaving.

However, a military analyst said the plans were not as radical as they might seem, the numbers cited by Serdyukov constituting a "laughable" understatement of the size of the armed forces. Secrecy surrounded the size of the army as well as other military such as the border guard and interior troops.

Vladimir Putin, who stepped down as president in May, saw a rebuilding of the military as central to restoration of central power in Russia and revival of an international image tarnished by post-Soviet decline.

The armed forces, celebrated as the soul of the nation in Soviet days, had sunk into disarray, with ships confined to port and aircraft grounded by fuel shortages and lacking spare parts. Living conditions were often squalid and discipline poor.

Critics say reforms are progressing too slowly for a country facing separatist rebellion in the south and the advance of NATO influence on Russia's borders.

"We propose to have an army of 1 million within four or five years, that is by 2013," Russian media quoted Serdyukov as telling reporters after meeting President Dmitry Medvedev.

Russian officials had earlier put the number of Russian army servicemen at 1.13 million at the end of 2007. Serdyukov said the Defence Ministry had earlier planned to reduce the army to 1 million by 2016.