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TheMilitary-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation (Russian:Военно-промышленная комиссия Российской Федерации (acronym VPK)) was established by apresidential decree in March 2006. According to the decree, it is a permanently functioning body with vast responsibilities for supervising the distribution and implementation of the "State defense order". The commission answers directly to thePresident of Russia. It coordinates between theDefence Ministry of the Russian Federation, theArmed Forces of the Russian Federation, and thedefense industry of Russia. Until then, the defense industry was supervised by Russia'sMinistry of Industry and Energy, as well as by the previous government consultative body with a similar name.
The VPK of the Russian Federation shares the name of the formerSoviet Military Industrial Commission, which served as a central management body for the Soviet defense industry. The VPK was an inner circle of theCouncil of Ministers, and the first deputy chairman of the Council headed it. The Soviet VPK's primary function was to facilitate plan fulfilment by easing bottlenecks, enforcing inter-ministerial cooperation, and overseeing the availability of resources.[1]
19 September marks Gunsmith Day (Russian:День оружейника), the professional holiday for the commission and the forces under its jurisdiction. It was celebrated for the first time in 2010, following a visit in May of that year to the hometown ofMikhail Kalashnikov byVladimir Putin. 19 September was chosen for this holiday, because theRussian Orthodox Church honors the memory ofSaint Michael the Taxiarch on this day.[2][3]
The magazineOborona Rossii orDefence of Russia is the official printed organ of the Military-Industrial Commission and has been published since October 2008. The publication covers the activities of the commission and publishes materials related to the issues and activities of the military-industrial complex of Russia.[4][5]