Russian Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future

there is a concerted effort to minimize or eliminate
this scourge, how will the defense ministry conduct
such a policy? Will an officer known for his competence
and command abilities be sacked if he is found
guilty of corruption? Indeed, the challenges facing
the new look may be more rooted in manning issues
such as these than in overcoming the problems associated
with equipment and weapons modernization. Of
course, these demands are emerging from the drive
to modernize the inventory, as well as from efforts to
upgrade command and control and adopt networkcentric
warfare capabilities. Such a technological and
information-based military environment will necessitate
a significantly higher level of education to equip
officers to meet such demanding challenges.
Surprisingly in this context, the defense ministry
expended substantial energy and time on paper chasing.
Serdyukov commissioned the drafting of a written
code of honor. In November 2010, the 3rd All-Army
Conference of army and navy officers was scheduled
in Moscow to discuss formulating principles of corporate
ethics among Russian officers in the longer-term
look of the armed forces. That debate was encouraged
within units. This is an important step, as Colonel (Retired)
Vitaliy Shlykov believes that a code of corporate
ethics will result in a fundamentally “new level” of
professionalism within the Russian military. Nonetheless,
the development of an ethos and a code of ethics
among officers will take time to develop. It is a positive
initiative to introduce a clear code for officers. However,
as American officers say, they need to “walk the
walk,” not simply be aware of a codified approach to
their important role, but also to live and serve as an
inspirational example to their men. Higher standards
of justice and moral character are demanded from of-
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