The military policy of Russia and the army reforms in the period of V. V. Putin’s government (2000-2008)

The article analyzes the military policy of Russia at the beginning of the inauguration of Vladimir Putin as a president and the reforms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is noted that the 2000s military reforms were aimed at changing the structure of the Russian Armed Forces and creating the effective offensive and defensive weapons. At first, the most urgent tasks included the priority investment (in nuclear weapons development in order to deter adversaries or modernize the general purpose forces), the preferred form of service (contract or conscription one). This paper identifies the certain actions of V.V. Putin to reform the armed forces, including the development of the relevant legal framework which is formed by the new Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation, the National Security Concept of the Russian Federation, the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Military Construction until 2010. The main objectives of the reforms are the creation of an army with high mobility, immediately responsive to enemy actions, the transition from the mobilization principle to the permanent combat readiness of the armed forces, the optimization of control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.