President Medvedev appointed Lt.-Gen. Andrei Anatolievich Shvaichenko the new Commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces. Before the appointment, Shvaichenko served as the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces. He replaced Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, who served as the commander since 27 April 2001. Solovtsov reached the maximum age for military service when he turned 60 earlier this year.