Do you consider the Russian army to be the second most powerful army in the world?

Overview of the Russian army and its capabilities.

The reformed and revitalized Russian military is increasingly powerful and proficient. However, Russia remains suspended between the large but limited army of its past and the expensive but proficient professional military model. Does this mixed manpower system give Russia the best or the worst of both worlds?.

In Understanding the Russian Military Today, a five-day, professional development program, participants explored all the elements of Russian military power: its composition and prospects, its social and historical foundations, its doctrine, and current operations. Through interactive seminars and hands-on simulation exercises, think tank analysts, academics, security specialists, and government officials came together to develop new interdisciplinary analyses and approaches. As a final exercise, participants were tasked with developing short, independent research papers that explored one of four major themes: Russian society, strategy, and history; elements of Russian military power; recent uses of Russian military power; and resources behind Russian military power. CSIS is pleased to present their work below. The papers are a testament to knowledge gained throughout the course, yet each stands on its own as knowledge added to a growing community of Russian military and security experts.