http://www.boston.com/dailynews/290/world/Russia_to_dismantle_bases_in_C:.shtml

Russia to dismantle bases in Cuba, Vietnam to raise more money for struggling military

By Sergei Shargorodsky, Associated Press, 10/17/2001 14:09

MOSCOW (AP) In an effort to raise more money for the struggling military at home, Russia will close two bases that came to be symbolic of the Cold War a radar station in Cuba and a naval support base in Vietnam, a top army official said Wednesday.

At the same time, Russia will spend nearly $1 billion more this year to purchase new weapons, officials said after what they described as a ''stormy'' meeting of military brass at the Defense Ministry, chaired by President Vladimir Putin.

''The president called on us to seek ways that could save resources, including those within (the military),'' said Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, chief of the Russian armed forces' General Staff.

Kvashnin said Russia will dismantle its radar station in Lourdes, Cuba, and a Navy technical support base in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. The Russian pullout from Vietnam will start on Jan. 1, military officials said, but no definite date was announced for the Cuba station.

President Bush welcomed the announcement, saying in a statement issued in Washington: ''This is another indication that the Cold War is over.''

The spying facility in Cuba was built in 1964, shortly after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, to ''decide defense issues during that period of the Cold War,'' Kvashnin said. ''Now, the military-political situation has changed and there has been a qualitative leap in military equipment.''

''The station's potential is compensated by the potential of other means and forces on the territory of Russia, including space-based ones,'' Kvashnin said.

He said the closure of the Cuba station would allow Russia to save at least $200 million a year in rent and an undisclosed amount in personnel salaries and maintenance.

''With that money we can buy and launch 20 communication, intelligence and information satellites, and purchase up to 100 sophisticated radars,'' Kvashnin noted. The Vietnam base annually costs Russia the amount needed to build and fully arm a modern nuclear submarine, he said without elaborating.

Putin visited the electronic facility in Lourdes in December, telling the station's personnel that their mission was important to his government's decision-making.

On Wednesday, he said the decision to dismantle bases in the former Soviet Union's traditional satellite countries did not mean that Moscow was turning its back on them.

''We advocate the full lifting of the economic blockade against Cuba. We have large economic cooperation plans with Vietnam,'' Putin told the gathering.

In June, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russia had decided not to extend its lease for the Cam Ranh Bay base, which has served as Moscow's strategic foothold in the region. The lease was to expire in 2004.

At the meeting, Putin called for more money to pay Russian military salaries and purchase modern weapons. He also noted some troubles with Russia's military reform efforts, saying he wanted to see more ''quality'' than quantity and lashing out at the military for having its pilots fly only 10 percent of the necessary training time.

''We have to look at our priorities as the situation in the world is changing rapidly and we need to confront international terrorism,'' Putin said. ''We have to adequately respond to the international situation.''

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who also took part in the meeting, said the government would spend an additional $918 million this year on new weapons purchases, ''and this amount will be growing every year.''

He also expressed hope that parliament would give its final approval Friday to releasing an additional $136 million to beef up the salaries of military personnel, a step initiated by Putin.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001