MOSCOW, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The Russian military will be downsized to under 1 million personnel by 2016 when reservists will be placed on contract, military officials said.
"We are drafting a new system of recruiting reservists, which will allow conscripted servicemen to sign a reservist contract after the end of their conscription term," Vasily Smirnov, deputy chief of the general staff, said in a report from RIA Novosti.
Smirnov said contracted reservists would be assigned to specific units and could be called up whenever necessary. They will then be paid for reserve time. Now, they are paid only for the time they spend in training.
Russian draftees spend one year in the military and the shortest term of service for a contract enlistment is three years.
The Russian military now has more than 1.7 million members.
By 2016, it will comprise about 150,000 officers and 745,000 contracted and conscripted enlisted personnel.
