Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces to Go All-Digital by 2020

The Russian Strategic Missile Forces will completely switch to digital data transmission technologies by 2020, spokesperson of the Defense Ministry Maj. Dmitry Andreev told journalists.

The initiative is expected to significantly increase the effectiveness of the forces, including reducing the management cycle and improving the command decision making process. The plan will also include a set of measures to improve security of communications.

"With the current pace of modernization in the armed forces, communication systems will be all-digital by 2020," Andreev said.

In the last three years, the Strategic Missile Forces has received new digital information transfer systems for the firing locations of missile units. Satellite and radio-radar equipment have also been upgraded.

"The Strategic Missile Forces have received modern telecommunication equipment, including digital radio relay devices, automatic phone stations for confidential and non-confidential communications as well as local computing segments of the defense ministry’s confidential network," Andreev added.

Between 2009 and 2012, digital communications systems were delivered to command points of the Strategic Missile Forces. In 2013, their communication center, training facilities and the Peter the Great Military Academy were modernized.