MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) – Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday that his ministry must spend more money on scientific research military units, which he extolled as “incubators for naval and aerospace enterprises.”
Shoigu first aired the idea of scientific research military units in March, proposing, as a first step, that undergraduate students be involved in defense research-and-development projects that would count toward their mandatory one-year military service.
On Thursday he hailed the divisions as “incubators for enterprises, R&D institutes and construction bureaus in naval, aerospace and other spheres.”
Earlier that day, Shoigu said his ministry was starting a wide-ranging “head hunt” for young computer programmers to develop new software for the armed forces.
The Russian Armed Forces are in the midst of an extensive overhaul, including a gradual transition to an all-volunteer cadre, organizational restructuring and modernization of weaponry.
