The malnourished military: Russia's military is short of everything - food, finance, and fire-power.

The military is just one more of Russia's institutions that is operating in a climate of chaos. Once one of the most feared military machines in the history of the world, Russia's armed forces today are destitute and demoralized.

Soldiers, sailors, and flyers often don't see a pay cheque for months. In 1996, more than 100,000 officers had no housing, and 70% of Russian soldiers had inadequate clothing and equipment. Some army officers drive taxis, while private soldiers engage in crime to make ends meet. There was a 39% increase in criminal charges laid against soldiers in 1996. By May 1997, 100 colonels and 21 generals were facing charges of corruption.

The corruption often takes the form of selling military equipment. The Interior Ministry reported to the Duma in 1996 that 31,000 weapons had been stolen from military bases in the first nine months of the year. It's bad enough that hundreds of assault rifles have gone missing. What's really spine-chilling is the fact that several kilos of nuclear weapons grade plutonium can't be accounted for either.

In the spring of 1997, Russian generals had to sit back and watch quietly as their long-time rival the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expanded eastwards. The NATO flag now flies over territory the soldiers of the Soviet era considered their own backyard. This comes on the heels of a military defeat in the Chechnya war that was inflicted on Russia by a ragtag army of irregular soldiers.

The officer corps of the Russian military seethes with humiliation. The force is starved of resources and many of its officers are bitter and thirsty for revenge. A Russian defence analyst quoted in Time Magazine in 1996 said: "Lack of money is wiping out Russia's armed forces more efficiently than any nuclear bomb."

As the number of troops has dwindled, the best and the brightest members of the officer corps have left. They've gone to the growing private sector where, at least, they can expect a pay cheque. The best non-commissioned officers -- the trainers of raw recruits -- have gone too. And, three-quarters of the people conscripted duck the draft in one way or another. The military is in such a state of chaos, that its leaders admitted in the spring of 1997 that they didn't know exactly how many men they had in uniform.

All that's left is what former Security Adviser Alexander Lebed said are people with "porridge in their heads." Stephen Blank, an American expert on the Russian military agrees: "It's very clear," he says, "that this is an army led by a real bunch of incompetent and corrupt officers."

But, Russia still has a huge nuclear arsenal. To have such weapons watched over by people who are unpaid, unfed, and unhappy is dangerous. The danger is compounded by scrimping on maintenance of the complex computers that control the nuclear network. Former Defence Minister Igor Rodionov admitted the nuclear command and control system got only 10% of the money it needed for proper maintenance in 1996. The safeguards that are supposed to protect the world from an accidental or unauthorized launch are fraying at the edges. One story illustrates the problem.

In January 1995, Norwegian scientists sent up a research rocket. As is standard practice, the scientists told the Russian embassy in Oslo about their planned launch. But, the message was never passed along to the Russian military. So, when the rocket showed up on Russian radar screens, duty officers flashed a warning about a possible nuclear attack. All over the country, soldiers in charge of nuclear weapons were told to get ready to use them. It took analysts 12 minutes to identify the radar blip as harmless and order a stand-down of defences. "For a while," said Russian Deputy Sergei Yushenkov, "the world was on the brink of nuclear war."

Another concern is that the Russian early warning system is not what it used to be. During the days of the Soviet Union, radar and satellite tracking stations were scattered all over the member republics. Now, some of Russia's radar dishes are in foreign countries such as Ukraine or Latvia. Similarly, some earth stations receiving satellite signals are now in other nations such as Kazakhstan or Georgia. This means that the Russian high command is now partially blind. Not a good situation when your finger is poised over the red button that could destroy the world.

Russia's President Boris Yeltsin thinks he has a solution to all these problems. He plans to create a professional, all-volunteer force by 2000. It will he a much smaller military too. Mr. Yeltsin says the country can afford to spend no more than 3.5% of its Gross Domestic Product on the military. That's a far cry from the glory days of the Soviet Union when the country was spending more than 15% of its GDP on defence.

In the meantime, the world has to hope Russia can get over the transition period without a major disaster.

FACT FILE

In 1994, the power supply to the Central Command of Russia's strategic nuclear forces in Moscow was cut off for four hours because of nonpayment of electricity bills.

FACT FILE

In the Imperial Russian Army of pre-Soviet days not everybody was conscripted but those who were picked were obliged to serve for 20 years.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

1. The Italian newspaper Tempo commented in 1997 that "NATO is becoming an instrument to control conflicts, a military arm of the United Nations." Assign a group of students to research the history of NATO from its birth in 1949 to the present day, and to plot the major events on a timeline. Use this timeline as a resource for conducting a classroom discussion about a possible future role for NATO as an international peacekeeper.

2. The Western powers have to be careful not to rub Russia's nose in its Cold War defeat. Boastfullness would be a sure way to turn Russia into a hostile adversary. Brainstorm ways in which Russia can be allowed to "save face" in order that it should remain friendly toward the West.

3. Discuss the following statement: "We in Canada were a lot safer when the Soviet Union and the United States were both strong than we are now that Russia is weak."

RELATED ARTICLE: DECLINE

Number of troops in uniform in soviet military in 1985: 5.3 million

in Russia military in 1997: about 1.5 million

Number of divisions in Red army in 1986: 186 in 1996: 30

Number of surface ships in soviet navy in 1986: 290 in 1996: 150

Number of new fighter planes Russian Air Force said it needed in 1995 to maintain its strength: 40 number it received: 6