| Strategic Rocket Forces | |
|---|---|
| Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya | |
 Emblem | |
| Founded | 17 December 1959; 65 years ago (1959-12-17) |
| Country | Russia (1992–present) Commonwealth of Independent States (1991–1992) Soviet Union (1959–1991) |
| Branch |  Russian Armed Forces |
| Type | Strategic missile force |
| Role | Strategic missile deterrence |
| Size | 50,000 personnel (2020)[1] |
| Headquarters | Vlasikha, 2.5 km northwest ofOdintsovo,Moscow Oblast |
| Motto | "После нас - тишина"("After us - silence") |
| March | Artillery March (Марш Артиллеристов) byTikhon Khrennikov |
| Anniversaries | 17 December |
| Equipment | Ballistic missiles,cruise missiles |
| Engagements | Cuban Missile Crisis Able Archer 83 Norwegian rocket incident Russo-Ukrainian War[2] |
| Website | Official website |
| Commanders | |
| Supreme Commander-in-Chief |  PresidentVladimir Putin |
| Minister of Defense |  Andrey Belousov |
| Commander |  Colonel GeneralSergey Karakayev |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Patch |  |
| Great Emblem |  |
| Insignia |  |
| Russian Armed Forces |
|---|
.svg) |
| Staff |
| Services (vid) |
| Independent troops (rod) |
| Special operations force (sof) |
| Other troops |
| Military districts |
| History of the Russian military |
TheStrategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or theStrategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF;Russian:Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Федерации (РВСН РФ),romanized: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii,lit. 'Strategic Purpose Rocketry Troops of the Russian Federation') is aseparate combat arm of theRussian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land-basedintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). It was formerly part of theSoviet Armed Forces from 1959 to 1991.
The Strategic Rocket Forces was created on 17 December 1959 as part of theSoviet Armed Forces as the main force for operating all Soviet nuclear ground-basedintercontinental,intermediate-range ballistic missile, andmedium-range ballistic missile with ranges over 1,000 kilometers. After theSoviet Union collapsed in 1991, assets of the Strategic Rocket Forces were in the territories of several new states in addition to Russia, with armed nuclear missile silos in Belarus, Kazakhstan andUkraine. The three of them transferred their missiles to Russia for dismantling and they all joined theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Complementary strategic forces within Russia include theRussian Aerospace Forces'Long Range Aviation and theRussian Navy'sballistic missile submarines. Together the three bodies form Russia'snuclear triad.
The first Soviet rocket study unit was established in June 1946, by redesignating the 92ndGuards Mortar Regiment atBad Berka inEast Germany as the 22nd Brigade for Special Use of theReserve of the Supreme High Command.[3] On October 18, 1947, the brigade conducted the first launch of the remanufactured former GermanA-4 ballistic missile, orR-1, from theKapustin Yar Range.[4] In the early 1950s the 77th and 90th Brigades were formed to operate the R-1 (SS-1a 'Scunner'). The 54th and 56th Brigades were formed to conduct test launches of theR-2 (SS-2 'Sibling') at Kapustin Yar on June 1, 1952.
The 5th Scientific Research Proving Ground was established in 1955 inKzyl-Orda Oblast at the town of Zarya later Leninsk, and finally in 1995Baikonur.[5] Also established that year was the 43rd Independent Scientific Experimental Station (Klyuchi,Kamchatka Krai) as an outstation of the Baikonur test site. Two years later "Object Angara" was formed atPlesetsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, which after another name change in 1959 eventually became the53rd Scientific Research Proving Ground in 1963.[6]
From 1959 the Soviets introduced a number ofintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) into service, including theR-12 (SS-4 'Sandal'), theR-7 (SS-6 'Sapwood'), theR-16 (SS-7 'Saddler'), theR-9 (SS-8 'Sasin'), theR-26 (given the NATO reporting name SS-8 'Sasin' due to incorrect identification as the R-9), theR-36 (SS-9 'Scarp'), and theRT-21 (SS-16 'Sinner'), which was possibly never made fully operational.
By 1990 all early types of missiles had been retired from service. In 1990, the Strategic Missile Forces were officially established as a service branch of the Armed Forces under the direct control of the Defense Ministry. The date of its formal foundation, December 17, is celebrated as Strategic Missile Forces Day.
Two rocket armies were formed in 1960. The43rd Rocket Army and the50th Rocket Army were formed from the previous 43rd and 50th Air Armies of theLong Range Aviation.
During a test of theR-16 ICBM on October 24, 1960, the test missile exploded on the pad, killing the first commander of the SRF,Chief Marshal of ArtilleryMitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin. This disaster, the details of which were concealed for decades, became known as theNedelin catastrophe. He was succeeded byMarshal of the Soviet UnionKirill Moskalenko who was in turn quickly succeeded by MarshalSergey Biryuzov.[7] Under Marshal Вiryuzov the SRF deployed missiles to Cuba in 1962 as part ofOperation Anadyr. 36R-12intermediate range ballistic missiles were sent to Cuba, initiating theCuban Missile Crisis. The 43rd Guards Missile Division of 43rd Rocket Army manned the missiles while in Cuba.[8]
MarshalNikolai Krylov took over in March 1963 and served until February 1972. During this time French PresidentCharles de Gaulle visited the Strategic Missile Forces in 1966. Together with NI Krylov, he visited a missile division in Novosibirsk, and then at the invitation of Leonid Brezhnev participated in a demonstration missile launch at theBaikonur Cosmodrome in theKazakh SSR. Chief Marshal of Artillery Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko commanded the SRF from April 12, 1972, to July 10, 1985. Tolubko emphasised raising the physical fitness standards within the SRF and in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Strategic Rocket Forces began to field the new UR-100 (SS-11 'Sego') and UR-100N (SS-19 'Stilleto') ICBMs beginning with the43rd Rocket Army in theUkrainian SSR, providing them with longer range and more accurate missiles. He was succeeded by General of the Army Yury Pavlovich Maksimov, who was in command from July 10, 1985, to August 19, 1992.
According to a 1980TIME Magazine article citing analysts fromRAND Corporation,Soviet non-Slavs were generally barred from joining the Strategic Rocket Forces because of suspicions about the loyalty of ethnic minorities to the state.[9] Those who served in the Strategic Rocket Forces had better quality of living, food and also higher salaries than the ones paid to those serving in theSoviet Army. The majority of new recruits has, since its inception, consisted of mainly college and university graduates.
In 1989 the Strategic Rocket Forces had over 1,400 ICBMs, 300 launch control centers, and twenty-eight missile bases.[10] The RSVN operatedRSD-10 (SS-20 'Saber') intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) andR-12 (SS-4 'Sandal') medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs). Two-thirds of the road-mobile Soviet RSD-10 force was based in the western Soviet Union and was aimed at Western Europe.
One-third of the force was located east of the Ural Mountains and was targeted primarily against China. Older R-12 missiles were deployed at fixed sites in the western Soviet Union. TheIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in December 1987, called for the elimination of all 553 Soviet RSD-10 and R-12 missiles within three years. As of mid-1989, over 50% of RSD-10 and R-12 missiles had been eliminated.
By 1990 the Soviet Union had seven types of operational ICBMs. About 50% were heavyR-36M (SS-18 'Satan') andUR-100N (SS-19 'Stiletto') ICBMs, which carried 80% of the country's land-based ICBM warheads. By this time it was producing new mobile, and hence survivable ICBMs, theRT-23 (SS-24 'Scalpel') andRT-2PM (SS-25 'Sickle').[11]
In 1990, with the R-12 apparently fully retired, the IISS reported that there were 350UR-100s (SS-11 'Sego,' Mod 2/3), 60RT-2s (SS-13 'Savage') still in service in one missile field, 75UR-100MRs (SS-17 'Spanker,' Mod 3, with 4 MIRV), 308 R-36Ms (mostly Mod 4 with 10 MIRV), 320 UR-100Ns (mostly Mod 3 with 6 MIRV), some 60 RT-23s (silo and rail-mobile), and some 225 RT-2PMs (mobile).[11]
Commanders of the Strategic Rocket Forces[12]
| Rank | Commander | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Marshal of Artillery | Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin | 17.12.59 | 24.10.60 |
| Marshal of the Soviet Union | Kirill Semenovich Moskalenko | 25.11.60 | 24.4.62 |
| Marshal of the Soviet Union | Sergey Semenovich Biryuzov | 24.4.62 | 5.3.63 |
| Marshal of the Soviet Union | Nikolay Ivanovich Krylov | 5.3.63 | 9.2.72 |
| Chief Marshal of Artillery | Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko | 12.4.72 | 10.7.85 |
| General of the Army | Yury Pavlovich Maksimov | 10.7.85 | 19.8.92 |
| Marshal of the Russian Federation | Igor Dmitrievich Sergeev | 19.8.92 | 22.5.97 |
| General of the Army | Vladimir Nikolaevich Yakovlev | 6.97 | 27.4.01 |
| Colonel-General | Nikolay Evgenevich Solovtsov | 27.4.01 | 3.8.09 |
| Lieutenant-General | Andrey Anatolevich Shvaychenko | 3.8.09 | 22.6.10 |
| Lieutenant-General | Sergey Viktorovich Karakaev | 22.6.10 |
Composition of the Strategic Missile Forces 1960–1991[13]
| Formation | Headquarters Location | Year formed as Corps | Year formed as Army | Year disbanded[7] | Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27th Guards Rocket Army | HQVladimir,Moscow Military District | Sept. 1, 1959 | 1970 | Still active | 7th Guards Rocket Division,28th Guards Rocket Division, (32[14]),54th Guards Rocket Division,60th Rocket Division |
| 31st Rocket Army | Orenburg, Urals Military District | Sept. 5, 1965 | 1970 | Still active | 8th,13th,14th, (41st Guards),42nd, 50,52nd, (55), 59 |
| 33rd Guards Rocket Army | Omsk,Siberian Military District | 1962 | 1970 | Still active | 23, (34), 35th, 36th Guards, 38, 39th Guards, 57, 62 |
| 43rd Rocket Army[15] | Vinnitsa,Kiev Military District | — | 1960 | May 8, 1996 | 19 (Khmelnitsky), 37th Guards (Lutsk), 43 (Kremenchug),44 (Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast, disbanded March 1990;46 (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast) |
| 50th Rocket Army | Smolensk,Belorussian Military District | — | 1960 | June 30, 1990 | 1988:[7] 7th Guards, 24th Guards (Gvardeysk, Kaliningrad Oblast),[16] 31st Guards (former 83rd Guards Bryansko-Berlinskaya Aviation (Missile) Division, renumbered July 1, 1960), 32nd (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast), 40th,49th Guards (Lida,Grodno Region, 1963 to 1990), 58th (Karmelava, Lithuania) |
| 53rd Rocket Army[17] | Chita,Transbaikal Military District | 1962 | June 8, 1970 | Sept. 16, 2002 | 1988:[7]4th Rocket Division (Drovyanaya,Chita Oblast),23rd Guards Rocket Division (Kansk, assigned 1983–2002), 27th Rocket Division (Svobodnyy,Amur Oblast), 29th, 36th Guards, 47th Rocket Division (Olovyannaya,Chita Oblast)[18] |
RSVN training establishments included:[19]
Like most of the Russian Armed Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces had limited access to resources for new equipment in theYeltsin era. However, the Russian government made a priority of ensuring that the Missile Forces received new missiles to phase out older, less-reliable systems, and to incorporate newer capabilities in the face of international threats to the viability of the nuclear deterrent effect provided by their missiles. In particular the development of missile defense systems in the United States.
In 1995, the "Strategic Missile Forces Day" and "Military Space Forces Day" were created. On July 16, 1997, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree incorporating theRussian Space Forces and the Space Missile Defence Forces (Russian: Ракетно-космической обороны) into the SMT.[20] In doing so, 'nearly 60' military units and establishments were dissolved. However, four years later, on June 1, 2001, theRussian Space Forces were reformed as a separate branch of service from the SMT.
Minister of Defence Marshal of the Russian FederationIgor Sergeev, a former commander of the SMT from August 19, 1992 – May 22, 1997, played a major role in assuring funding for his former service.[7] He was succeeded by General of the ArmyVladimir Yakovlev, who commanded the SMT from June 1997 until April 27, 2001. Yakovlev was succeeded byColonel GeneralNikolay Solovtsov.[citation needed]
In the early 2000s, Chief of the General Staff Army GeneralAnatoly Kvashnin decided to downgrade the status of the Strategic Missile Forces from a branch of the armed forces to an independent combat arm. This was completed despite the opposition of Defense Minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev.[21]
Solovtsov was dismissed in July–August 2009. Speculation over why Solovtsov was dismissed included opposition to further cuts in deployed nuclear ballistic missile warheads below the April 2009 figure of 1,500, the fact that he had reached the retirement age of 60, despite that he had recently been extended another year's service, or the failure of theNavy'sBulava missile).[citation needed]
After only a year,Lieutenant General Andrey Shvaichenko, appointed on August 3, 2009, by PresidentDmitry Medvedev, was replaced. The current commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel GeneralSergey Karakayev, was appointed to the post by a presidential decree of June 22, 2010.[22][23]
The RVSN headquarters has a special sledgehammer that can be used to gain access to the launch codes if the commander feels the need to use it or if ordered directly, but does not have normal access to the safe.[citation needed] In 2020, the Strategic Missile Forces completed switching to digital information transmission technology.[24]
The main RVSN command post is atKuntsevo in the suburbs of Moscow. The alternate command post is atKosvinsky Mountain in theUrals.[25]
Female cadets have started to join the Peter the Great Strategic Rocket Forces Academy. In the past, only men were allowed to serve in the Missile Forces.[citation needed] RVSN institutes also exist atSerpukhov andRostov-on-Don. An ICBM test impact range is located in the Far East, theKura Test Range. This has been underAerospace Defence Forces' command since 2010.[citation needed]
The Strategic Missile Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the silo-basedR-36M2 / SS-18Satan. It carries ten warheads. The last missile will be in service until 2020.[26][27][needs update]
The second system is the silo-basedUR-100NUTTH / SS-19Stiletto. The lastStiletto missiles in service with six warheads each will be removed by 2019. Two UR-100NUTTH missiles are still believed to be active withAvangard HGVs as of 2024.
A new missile entering service is theRT-2UTTH Topol-M / SS-27Sickle B with single warhead, of which 60 are silo-based and 18 are mobile. Some new missiles will be added in the future. The first upgraded Topol-M calledRS-24 Yars, carrying three warheads, was commissioned in 2010. In July 2011 the first mobile regiment with nine missiles was completed.[28] From 2012 to 2017, about 80 ICBMs were placed in active duty.[29][30] The RF Defense Minister said in December 2022 that 91.3% of the country's nuclear forces was modern.[31][32][33] 3 missile regiments rearmed in 2023.[34][35] According to the RF MoD, the new super-heavy ICBMRS-28 Sarmat has entered service, it's designed to replace the aging R-36.[36] A new IRBM namedOreshnik was launched at Dnipro, Ukraine in 2024.[37]
The composition of missiles and warheads of the Strategic Rocket Forces previously had to be revealed as part of theSTART I treaty data exchange. The most recently reported (January 2020) order of battle of the forces was as follows:[38]
The21st Arsenal (stationed in the village of Chrysolitovy), the27th Arsenal (the village of Surovatikha, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast), and29th Arsenals are affiliated with the Strategic Rocket Forces. The 25th Arsenal inStolbtsy,Minsk Oblast, now inBelarus, was also affiliated with the RSVN. The arsenal at Surovatikha was formed on 23 November 1955. Commanders have included:[60]
The Strategic Missile Forces have:[38]
Kristensen and Korda (2020) list theUR-100N (SS-19), as retired from deployment, while noting thatUR-100NUTTH being deployed with theAvangard.[61]
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Russian Strategic Rocket Forces |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | -2010.svg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshal of the Russian Federation Ма́ршал Росси́йской Федера́ции | Army general генера́л а́рмии | Colonel general генера́л-полко́вник | Lieutenant general генера́л-лейтена́нт | Major general генера́л-майо́р | Colonel полко́вник | Lieutenant colonel подполко́вник | Major майо́р | Captain капита́н | Senior lieutenant ста́рший лейтена́нт | Lieutenant лейтена́нт | Junior lieutenant мла́дший лейтена́нт | Cadet Курсант | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Strategic Rocket Forces |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior warrant officer Ста́рший пра́порщик | Warrant officer Пра́порщик | Master sergeant Старшина́ | Senior sergeant Ста́рший сержа́нт | Sergeant Сержа́нт | Junior sergeant Мла́дший сержа́нт | Corporal Ефре́йтор | Private Рядово́й | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to theFederation of American Scientists, for the foreseeable future, all new Russian ICBM deployments will be based on theMIRVed version of the solid-fueled Topol-M "RS-24 Yars" and the liquid-fueledRS-28 Sarmat. By the late 2020s, according to announcements by Russian military officials, all R-36M2 missiles will be retired in favor of the newRS-28 super-heavy ICBM.
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