"I would like to assure you that the course the Defense Ministry has been following for the past six years will remain unchanged in the future as well," Anatoly Serdyukov said on national television.
"Our aim is a deep comprehensive modernization of the Armed Forces, making them look fully in line with the 21st century demands," he said.
On February 15, President Vladimir Putin appointed Serdyukov, 45, who headed the Federal Tax Service for the last three years, as new defense minister, replacing Sergei Ivanov.
Serdyukov said last Sunday that priority tasks facing Russia's Armed Forces will remain unchanged.
"First of all, this applies to the social sphere - the provision of servicemen with housing, combat training, modernization of the Armed Forces, the increase of the number of troops serving on contract and the transition to a 12-month draft from January 1, 2008," Serdyukov said then.
