Here, we know more about the Americans than we do about the Russians. The military is deeply concerned about the psychological stability of these people, and has developed a Personnel Reliability Program to select them. Individuals are decertified if they are found guilty of negligence, serious civil infractions, repeated alcohol or drug abuse, or other aberrant behavior that might lead to unreliable performance. According to Department of Defense figures from 1975 to 1984 some 51,000 individuals were decertified, an average of more than 5000 each year. Among these, the majority were decertified for drug and alcohol abuse or for psychiatric problems.
Alcohol abuse is reported to be more prevalent in the Russian military than among civilians.
The Russian army has fallen on hard times. It is a mere shadow of its former self. To try to maintain its status as a world power, Russia is relying more and more on nuclear weapons. Recent U.S. military policies are making things worse. To some Russians, the proposed expansion of NATO to include Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states does not necessarily seem benign.