Vladimir Putin's government is a closed and personalistic regime where relationships matter more than bureaucratic hierarchy. This also extends to the military leadership, with certain qualifications. The minister of defense has almost absolute power and is subject to one person's will: the president of Russia. The Russian command-and-control system is heavily reliant on its officers and vertical command structure. The officers have the highest degree of authority over their subordinates. The military leadership has had to overcome a set of traditional obstacles in Russian civil-military relations: the general reluctance of the military to reform; military clans based on service branches pursuing their organizational interests; a weakness of feedback mechanisms within the lower ranks; the special political status of the military-industrial complex and the resulting politicization of military procurements; and the lack of societal motivation to serve as enlisted soldiers in the military (and as officers before 2011)
Notes
"July 2021."
Online resource; title from PDF cover page (CSIS, viewed July 24, 2021)
