Professionals in Russian Airborne Forces to Double by 2017

Professionals in Russian Airborne Forces to Double by 2017


The number of professional servicemen in the Russian Airborne Forces is expected to reach 20,000 in the next five or seven years, more than double the current 9,500 troops, the airborne troops chief commander, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, has said.
The Russian Airborne Forces currently have some 35,000 servicemen, and less than 30 percent of them are professionals, Shamanov said in an interview with RIA Novosti ahead of Airborne Forces Day celebrations in Russia on Thursday.
The number of professional servicemen in airborne units across Russia differs significantly. Shamanov noted that, in the Tula and Ryazan regions in central Russia, professionals comprise no more than 15-20 percent of total airborne unit numbers, while one airborne unit in the Volga region of Ulyanovsk is 60 percent comprised of professional servicemen.

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