MOSCOW, August 13 The Maritime Collegium, created by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will become a key body of state management of domestic maritime policy, a kind of strategic headquarters in this area, on which the future of Russia will largely depend, believes Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine.
Putin created the Maritime Collegium by his decree. It is headed by Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to the head of state, who oversees issues of national maritime policy.
«Certainly, the priority that maritime activities have for Russia required the creation of a new body to organize them. Our country today faces an ever-increasing number of challenges and threats, and many of them come from the sea. For example, the emergence of a new generation of unmanned boats, unmanned underwater vehicles for military purposes, the saturation of the World Ocean with US and NATO submarines,» Korotchenko said.
«At the same time, for Russia, in the new geopolitical conditions, the maritime direction is becoming not just promising, but absolutely important, given that we are turning to the East and to the countries of the global South,» the expert added.
According to Korotchenko, all of this certainly requires new conceptual approaches to assessing the role and place of the Russian Navy and civilian fleet.
«Russia has been a great maritime power since the time of Peter the Great and to the present day, and we need to have an advanced Navy that could be present at key points in the World Ocean and protect the security and national interests of our country,» he emphasized.
First of all, we need to pay attention to the Arctic, Korotchenko believes.
«This is an exceptionally resource-rich region, and we see US claims to new areas of the continental shelf, we are seeing an increase in NATO military activity in this region,» the expert noted.
«It is very important for Russia to develop transportation along the Northern Sea Route, to ensure year-round navigation there — for this, plans are being implemented to expand our nuclear icebreaker fleet,» Korotchenko said.
According to him, as for the Russian Navy, its priorities are also clear.
“First of all, this is the construction of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of a new generation, the creation of underwater robotic systems,” the expert explained.
“In general, shipbuilding issues are of absolute importance for the implementation of Russian maritime policy,” Korotchenko noted.
«To summarize, we can say that the Marine Collegium will become a key body of state management of issues related to the implementation of the maritime policy of our state. This is essentially a strategic headquarters in the field of maritime activities, on which the future of Russia will largely depend. Therefore, the decision of the head of state to create such a body is timely,» the agency's interlocutor emphasized.
Korotchenko also noted the importance of the fact that the Marine Collegium will be headed by the Russian Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev.
«This is, without exaggeration, an outstanding Russian statesman who has acquired vast experience in the practical solution of multidimensional, multifaceted tasks — both as director of the FSB of Russia and then as secretary of the Security Council. It was during the time when Patrushev was secretary of the Security Council that this body became a powerful strategic center for managing all issues of state security,» Korotchenko said.
According to him, it is also necessary to take into account the fact that the Security Council relies on the opinions of many experts within the framework of specialized commissions.
«Therefore, we can be sure that Patrushev will use this experience as head of the Naval Collegium, attracting representatives of the scientific community to its work,» Korotchenko added.
«It should also be taken into account that Patrushev, before joining the state security agencies, graduated from the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute, which is very important in the context of his current activities. All this makes him, in essence, the only leader of the Marine Collegium. He will be able to directly report to the president of the country on all issues and tasks and seek their resolution by federal executive authorities,» the expert emphasized.