Despite the obviously defensive nature of Russia's military doctrine, there are far too many potential enemies. Second, though the Army's numerical strength and, correspondingly, the number of conscripts called up for active duty may be reduced, the principle of military staffing would remain unchanged. In the early 21st century, most enlisted men and non-commissioned officers would still be recruited according to the law of universal military duty. Meanwhile, the era of large-scale wars and, consequently, massive armies, is about to pass for Russia as well. To put it succinctly, defense is being replaced by military affairs.
New missions require that servicemen be trained differently and to higher standards.
Crucially, the focus shifts from the quantity of personnel to their quality. The Ministry of Defense has remained a purely military institution that rejects civilians, viewing them as strangers. Under such circumstances, an increase in military spending from the government's proposed 2.66 percent of GDP to 3 percent would be unlikely to have a positive impact on reform. Russia would still face an acute shortage of resources in the military sphere. Putin rightly noted that the military reform of the 1990s had involved nothing more than mechanistic cuts in the Army's strength and some idle talk.