Like other departments, the defense Ministry is seeking ways to save money. The General approach is: we need to cut funding articles not directly affecting the combat readiness of the army and the social sphere, to continue equipping the army with modern Arsenal.
To what extent the planned sequestration of the military budget, what are the costs in any case will not be adjusted, can the soldiers and officers to rely in a crisis on the increase of salaries and introduction of additional payments? To these and other questions in exclusive interview to “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” said the Deputy defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova.
Tatiana, what happens with army wallet in times of crisis – it stayed the same or lost weight?
Tatyana Shevtsova: you Cannot put a sign of equality between the costs nacobre and means for the maintenance of the army. More than 55 percent of the defense Ministry’s budget goes to Finance the state armaments Programme. And less than half – the actual on the needs of the armed forces: military training and arrangement of troops, salaries, social benefits and so on.
Means of defense procurement, we invest in our defence enterprises, but they have almost all the subjects of the Russian Federation. These money go including the salary of many collectives of the MIC, returned to the Treasury in tax revenue. Defence expenditures have a multiplicative synergistic effect. That is, they are a stimulant for the development of civil industries. For example, for the construction of submarines require special alloys. They are ordered in metallurgy. Need for aviation and air defense systems latest electronics – turn in an industry.
In fact more than half of the state defence order is returned to the economy of the country in the subjects of the Russian Federation. That is why the leadership of the state says that the budget cannot be reduced. As it becomes stronger not only by the army. By and large, this is a serious investment component in the economy of the country.
Nevertheless, the reduction in the crisis inevitable.
Tatyana Shevtsova: they left Untouched the financing of the state Programme of armaments and public obligations: wages, salaries, social payments.
Cuts affected not the entire budget, but only some of its articles – construction, repair and maintenance. And the sequester has amounted to from 10 to 5 percent, which for us is not critical.
Besides, by order of the Minister of defence developed and implemented a program “Efficient army”. We optimize your expenses. Say, installed in military units and institutions of the counters of water, gas, electricity and saved 3 billion rubles. Reduced the cost per square meter in construction, has been started to erect objects. At the same time made a bet on quickly erected structures, has developed model projects, cheaper technology. Translate boiler-houses on gas, introduced “pahomovoy” electronic control of military power.
It turns out that saving on one, you retain full funding for another, more important.
Tatyana Shevtsova: Exactly. There is another important point. Again, on behalf of the Minister are working on budgeting departments on the basic indicators of defense spending. Is determined by the minimum acceptable amount of funding to implement plans for the construction and development of the Armed forces. To fall below this level does not.
Military money in special accounts
In fact, the Ministry of defense transferred to the state planning Commission?
Tatyana Shevtsova: Otherwise not. Because we all, including funding, associated with the incoming troops in appliances. Come in part of new planes, so by this time should be prepared pilots. Equipment will not be left in the open air, so you need to build hangars under its storage.
Of contract servicemen in the army you need to recruit? Need is its main strength. When in this perspective begin to speak in the government or the Ministry of Finance, we typically hear.
Moreover, the consideration of justification the needs of defence spending through the prism of the baseline envisaged in the security Council of the Russian Federation. We believe that it is impossible to prevent the automatic cuts of the budget. Any sequestration should be considered through the assessment of threats to national security. The President agreed with this approach.
Before we talk specifically about a 5 percent reduction in the budget of the Ministry of defense, we all thoroughly counted. And brought the minimum required amount of Finance to fulfill all the decrees of the President, to fulfill all social commitments to equip the system of basing of military equipment.
Last year you launched a new system of financial tracking of resources allocated to defense enterprises. We will remind, in what an essence of innovations.
Tatyana Shevtsova: First the Ministry of defense as the state had a duty to supervise target use of budgetary funds, but does not have the proper tools. With the introduction of new legislation on the state defense order such levers we have. Created an interdepartmental system of control over cash flows leading to the implementation of state defense orders.
Created a set of tools for the prevention of misuse of budget funds. This allows you to track each transferred to the defense industry, the ruble and to control the financial flows in General.
First of all money on military contracts come to the defense enterprises only through separate accounts opened in authorized banks. Today in this system there are 7 reliable credit organizations. They ensure that listed companies advances are not displayed in the offshore, go for the purchase of securities, the payment of debts on loans others non-earmarked spending.
With the help of additional payments and allowances we zeroed inflationary losses allowance
Despite the financing of each contract for defense procurement through a separate Bank account priority payments such as salary and social payments, tax payments to the budgetary system, payment of utility bills, accounts and other cooperation needed for the defence procurement spending conducted by authorized banks without any restriction.
In addition, each project gets a unique number, called ID. It is specified in the documents during the passage of money across the value chain – from the parent company to by the last level of cooperation. In other words, at any time you can follow the path of budgetary funds aimed at the production not only ordered from industry a tank or plane, but even components and materials used to manufacture them.
I want to note that for the purchase of small consignments of goods the act introduces a limit in 3 million roubles per month for each contract for the calculations without the use of separate accounts. Thus, the purchase of nails, trowels, paint cans can be carried out without opening separate accounts.
In the end using the contract ID as if we painted every military official ruble.
Output already have some result?
Tatyana Shevtsova: the New system operates effectively.
In the framework of interaction between all participants monitoring service (Rosfinmonitoring, the Federal Antimonopoly service of Russia, etc.) to ensure the timely identification of risks of improper execution of state defence orders. Data received from the authorized banks into a single information system of settlements for the state defense order, according to: 1 September 2015 was not a single payment, non-performance of military contracts.
At the stage of banking supervision prevented the illegal transfer of funds worth more than 5 billion rubles. It allows speaking about the efficiency inherent in the law of mechanisms.
However, we saw the need to introduce into the law some adjustments. “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” maybe first to talk about it. A key amendment in the document will allow the head contractor to reimburse the costs of the formation of “rapid” inventory in the course of execution of the contract from advances received and not on the results of final calculations.
The amendment we ourselves have initiated, now make her as presidential in the state Duma.
Ten allowances in salary
Back to the army. More precisely, to soldier’s and officer’s wallet. Military salaries have not been raised for four years. Do not get so that servicemen will again slide into poverty?
Tatyana Shevtsova: it won’t happen. While indexing of 2012 is not carried out, we with the help of additional payments and allowances all this time “reset to zero” for losses caused by inflation in military salaries. Only in the last couple of years have introduced about a dozen of these allowances.
For example, military personnel involved in peacekeeping operations, monthly pay 25 percent of their salaries. Those who execute the tasks in mountainous terrain, get an extra 30 percent. He was awarded the medal of the Ministry of defense “For military merits”, “For military valour” and “For clearance” – from 10 to 30 percent. There is skydiving for excellent physical training.
The approach here is: the more conscientious you are, the more work, the higher your pay.
And how many now receives an average human soldier?
Tatyana Shevtsova: More than 62 thousand rubles a month. For comparison – in 2012, when we switched to the new allowance, the rate was less than 58 thousand. The difference, at first glance, small. But we’re talking about “average” figures. Many servicemen with account of allowances adds up to a pretty decent amount.
It should be borne in mind that the original indicator for us is the average wage in the leading sectors of the economy. Pay in the army should not be lower. If you take the official statistics of the Ministry of defence, this requirement is met. We have higher level of salary than the salary in the extractive industries, such as metallurgy.
During the conversation about allowance. One of the first decisions of the Minister was associated with the monetization. When we are in permanent housing also went in the money, the place for apartments has decreased significantly.
You mean the payment of housing subsidies?
Tatyana Shevtsova: In my opinion, it was true, the cost calculated and socially informed decision. Apart from the fact that it gave ocheredniki a choice, what apartment and where to buy, what house to afford to build, it still took the Ministry of defence is a huge financial burden.
You know how many so-called rasporyazheniem three years ago we couldn’t fire without shelter? About 49 thousand. Although these people were not actually served, annually to spend on their pay 32 billion rubles. Now rasporyazheniem less than 5 thousand, and the freed-up money sent to housing subsidies.
The second important decision was the new approach to the payment of rental housing. In a service apartment was in need of almost 75 thousand military families. Compensation for the sublease of the apartment was rigidly fixed, and its size often did not allow officers and warrant officers to rent accommodation. This created great social tension.
When this year’s payment for the rent has been sharply raise the number of persons waiting for “sluzebni” was reduced almost ten times. Instead of waiting for state apartments of the garrison, many preferred to remove the most pleasurable accommodations.
But the right to receive “sluzebni” they are not lost?
Tatyana Shevtsova: of course Not.
Infographics WP/Maria Pakhmutova/Yuri Gavrilov
A soldier with officer pay
Question on military pensioners. For the past six months, they twice increased payments – in October of last year and the current February. This year retirees will be pleased?
Tatyana Shevtsova: It will be made clear in the second half. And in February really military pensions increased by 4 percent. The average size of such monthly payments is now 21 752 of the ruble. It is almost 1.7 times larger than the average size insurance old-age pension.
In addition, from 1 February to 7 per cent increase in individual payments to veterans and invalids of the great Patriotic war, Chernobyl victims, war veterans. And increased monthly payments to children of deceased in the performance of duties of the military.
So the situation here is relatively good.
Your civil servants the same can be said?
Tatyana Shevtsova: Here the situation is somewhat different. Although the issues of social protection of civilian personnel of the Armed forces has received increased attention. For us the main task – to prevent the reduction of previously achieved level of remuneration of these workers. Now their average salary in the Ministry of defence is 27 thousand rubles.
The balance of resource provision of organizational and staff measures, decisions about additional material stimulation of civil personnel of our military units and organizations.
In addition, the defense Ministry organized the implementation of presidential decree No. 597 dated 7 may 2012 to increase the efficiency of institutions and increase the level of remuneration of certain categories of employees of institutions of science, education, culture and health.
So, last year salary of faculty members of higher educational institutions amounted to 56,8 thousand roubles a month. Doctors – 52,9 thousand, researchers – of 65.7 thousand rubles.
In addition, from 1 January of the current year increased the salaries of low-paid categories of civilian personnel of the defense Ministry.
Generally that works in our office, the system of financing of civilian personnel makes it possible for managers alone to stimulate the workers by saving the annual salary Fund. This allows us to provide a worthy salary to the most qualified professionals, making a substantial contribution to maintaining the combat readiness of military units and organizations of the Russian defense Ministry. And it gives people the incentive to work as best as possible.
Now the army is actively recruiting professional soldiers. At what salaries they can expect?
Tatyana Shevtsova: Current salary contract employees – 20 to 29 thousand rubles a month. In addition, they are subject to all forms of additional payments. For example, for outstanding performance in physical training pay up to one hundred percent of the salary.
If 10 thousand of the allowance the contractor priplyusuet to put thousands 29, you get 39 thousand. Will receive an additional allowance for special conditions of service, say, in the North, nabezhit already 40-45 thousand. That is, the amount that was close to that Lieutenant. In addition, contract servicemen are entitled to free medical care, insurance, they can become participants of the military mortgage.
The soldiers are paid to risk
Soldiers-conscripts to increase the salaries don’t you think?
Tatyana Shevtsova: In principle they are set to a single payment – 2 thousand roubles a month. But we also imposed for this category of servicemen some allowances. For example, last year we pay the so-called commander’s money. There is a surcharge for skydiving, participation in mine clearance and diving operations. All who do it, also get one hundred percent of the salary. These monthly payments are held with the wording “for the risk in peacetime”.
Actually, as I think about it. Today many young people want to serve, and only starts the call, only manage to record them in various kinds and kinds of troops. The priority, of course, the airborne is there from the candidates for soldiers just hanging up there. After many torn Syria in SCD. Of course, all this is not a good thing.
Probably, army games such as tank biathlon is also urging the guys for the service? By the way, they are costly to the military Treasury?
Tatyana Shevtsova: It’s not just the game, and combat training with the element of competitiveness. Therefore, tank biathlon and aviadarts, military, and other games pass on the cost estimates for military training. Additional funds for their preparation and conduct are not required.
Business card
Tatiana Shevtsova, Deputy Minister of defense of the Russian Federation.
Born in 1969 in the city of Kozelsk of the Kaluga region in the family of serviceman. In 1991 he graduated from the Leningrad financial-economic Institute named after N. A. Voznesensky.
In state service since 1991. Has gone from a state tax inspector to Deputy head of the Federal tax service of the Russian Federation.
In may 2010 he became Advisor to the Minister of defence of the Russian Federation. 4 August 2010 by a presidential decree appointed Deputy Minister of defense.
State Councilor of Russian Federation of the 1st class (5 April 2011). Awarded the order “For merits before Fatherland” IV degree, order of Honor and Friendship.
Honored economist of the Russian Federation.
