Oleksandr Turchynov: The issue of our country’s protection is a top priority
NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov held an interagency meeting on the state target defense program for development of weapons and military equipment for the period till 2020. The heads of law enforcement, defense, finance and economic blocs of the state have attended the meeting.
"The issue of our country's protection is a top priority", - said Oleksandr Turchynov noting that new challenges and threats, which our state faces, demand higher defense capability through rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Border Service, special and law enforcement agencies with modern weapons and military equipment.
NSDC Secretary also noted that the combat experience, gained during counter-terrorist operation, revealed a number of shortcomings in our armament. "This applies as to the lack of new and modern weapons so to the means of intelligence, digital communication and so on. So there is a major task for our defense industry to meet the needs of the country in most modern types of armament and military equipment, which must be in line with the challenges of time", - he said.
"Weapons and equipment, which our army has today, were designed and produced in the last century, so our task is to provide our Armed Forces with all the things needed which would meet the challenges of the XXI century. Our weapons and equipment must not concede or should even exceed Russian samples", - he said.
Oleksandr Turchynov stressed that the program gives the answer and understanding what kind of results "we will get within 5 years". "Such strategic issues should be approached systematically and routinely, because the development of defense industry involves serious expenditures which must be planned in advance", - he said, explaining that planning of the state defense order "will be based on indicators, approved by the target defense program".
Besides that, the budget defense expenditures for the coming years should be planned on the basis of the approved Program.
"In its turn, the indicators, defined in the Program, will become the basis for development of defense industry till 2020, for long-term contracts and the objectives for domestic scientists, designers and manufacturers", - NSDC Secretary concluded.