New Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation: first appearance in public in military uniform, what kind of shoulder straps Belousov wears

The new Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov appeared in public for the first time in military uniform. Journalists noticed shoulder straps on him, similar to the shoulder straps of an army general.

In fact, Belousov wears the shoulder straps of an active state councilor of the first class. He appeared in uniform at a Security Council meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Such ranks are awarded by order of Putin

A rank as high as Belousov’s is awarded by decrees of the President of Russia. From tables correspondence between military and civilian ranks, it is known that the rank of active state councilor of the first class corresponds in importance to the rank of army general.

Belousov was not promoted to general, clarifies TASS. The new head of the Ministry of Defense retains his civilian rank, despite his military uniform. His predecessor in this position, Sergei Shoigu, on the contrary, has the military rank of army general, although he did not serve in military service, like Belousov. Shoigu became an army general when he was the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations – on May 7, 2003, exactly three years after the first inauguration of Vladimir Putin.

No decrees conferring any titles on Belousov were published either. It is still on the ministry website depicted in civilian clothes, and in his biography there is no mention of receiving a military rank.

Military expert and political scientist Alexei Zhivov, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, noted that Belousov has the management experience necessary for the post of head of the Russian Ministry of Defense and, if appointed, will be able to develop the potential of the army, as well as fight bureaucracy.

Military expert Alexei Leonkov noted that Putin’s proposal for Belousov’s candidacy for the post of Minister of Defense was expected and related to the need to balance the economic mechanism. The task of optimizing the economy was entrusted to an experienced person, the expert said, adding that Belousov is known as a person involved in optimization and structuring.

Putin explained the appointment of Belousov as Minister of Defense

The appointment of Andrei Belousov as head of the Russian Ministry of Defense is associated with increased spending on defense and security. Putin stated this. The President explained that spending on defense and security this year will amount to about 8.7 percent of GDP, and added that Belousov perfectly understands how to fit the economy of the entire security bloc and the Ministry of Defense into the overall economy of the country. “This is an extremely important thing,” the head of state concluded.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, appointing a civilian as head of the defense department will increase the Defense Ministry’s openness to innovation and cutting-edge ideas. Peskov recalled that in the past Belousov successfully headed the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and for a long time was the president’s assistant on economic issues. The Russian President’s press secretary also noted that the appointment of a new defense minister will not change the existing coordinate system, since no personnel changes are expected in the General Staff.

Earlier, Belousov spoke about his tasks at the head of the Ministry of Defense. In particular, the president set him the task of making the military economy and the work of the defense department as open to innovation as possible. Among the priority tasks of the Ministry of Defense, the minister also named providing modern weapons and equipment to the group in the zone of special military operation.