At the annual meeting with military commanders that was held in Moscow on November 17, 2004, Russian officials made some notable statements about plans to modernize the Russian strategic forces.

The minister of defense announced that in 2005 the Russian military will receive four new strategic missiles, nine military spacecraft, and two Tu-160 strategic bombers (one new and one after an overhaul). The minister did not provide any details, but the four missiles mentioned are most likely the Topol-M missiles that will be deployed in silos at the Tatishchevo missile base.

In his address to the meeting, President Putin mentioned that the Russian armed forces will soon receive a unique “new nuclear missile system”. No further details were provided, but it is most likely that the system in question is the Bulava sea-launched ballistic missile, which is currently in development.

According to a Ministry of Defense planning documents that were made public in connection with the meeting (Kommersant-Daily, 11/18/2004), the Russian strategic forces in 2010 will consist of two missile armies with 10-12 divisions (some of which will include R-36M2/SS-18 MIRVed missiles), 13 strategic submarines with 208 ballistic missiles, and 75 strategic bombers (Tu-160 and Tu-95MS).