Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command (Russia)

The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command (), is a military command of Russia.

It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the northern region of European Russia and the Arctic Ocean. The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command was established on 1 December 2014 when it was split off from the Western Military District, initially as Russia's only joint military command to give greater autonomy to the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet. The command is equal in status to a military district, and is planned to develop into a full military district in cooperation with the Central Military District and Eastern Military District, to concentrate on all military responsibility over Russia's territories in the Arctic.  

The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command contains 4 federal subjects of Russia: Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic, Murmansk Oblast, Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Additionally, the command contains most of Russia's islands in the Arctic Sea, including those located in federal subjects not within the command.

The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command is headquartered in Severomorsk, and its current district commander is Vice-Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, who has held the position since 3 May 2019.

Bases 
The Russian Ministry of Defence is in the process of building 13 air-defense radar stations in the Russian Arctic.

Airfields and ports on several islands, which were last used by the Soviet Union, will be re-opened: the 'Temp Air Base' on (Kotelnyy Island) in New Siberian Islands, Rogachevo Air Base on Novaya Zemlya and the Nagurskoye Air Base in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. A newly built naval base on the Wrangel Island will add to that.

In addition, at least seven airfields on the continental part of the Arctic Circle will be opened or re-opened, with Tiksi in Yakutia expected to house the bulk of the Arctic air force. Other continental airfields include Naryan-Mar Airport, Alykel Airport close to the city of Norilsk and Mys Shmidta and Ugolny Airport, both located in Chukotka.

Units

Naval Forces 
As of January, 7th, 2015, the commander of the Northern Fleet reportedly envisaged a series of coordination-improving tasks, including submarine underwater operations, assigned to cruise vessels. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov also said that it will be set up a specialised training centre for servicemen doing military service in the Arctic Region in 2015.

Ground forces 
The ground element of the command will incorporate two Arctic motorized infantry brigades, including the 200th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade and the 80th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade (Alakurtti)(formed January 2015).

The brigades are expected to accomplish coast patrolling missions, protect sites and territories on the coast of the northern seas and the Arctic Ocean, support and escort ships sailing along the Northern Sea Route, and demonstrate the military presence in the Arctic.

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Colonel General Oleg Salyukov, an Arctic motorized rifle brigade is, as of October 2014, under formation in the Murmansk Oblast, near the Norwegian border, while the second brigade is scheduled for 2016 to be stationed in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Order of battle 
 14th Army Corps
 Corps HQ
61st Naval Infantry Brigade (n. Sputnik)
80th Independent (Arctic) Motor Rifle Brigade
200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (n. Pechenga, Murmansk region)
536th Fleet Independent Coastal Defense Missile Artillery Brigade (Snezhnogorsk)
516th Fleet Signals Unit (Severomorsk)
180th Naval Engineering Battalion

Air and air defence forces 
Air Defence forces are said to consist of Pantsir-S1 missile and artillery systems, which have been put on duty on the Kotelnyy Island of the New Siberian Islands archipelago in 2014. The deployment of intermediate and long-range air defence systems in this area has also been planned.

The command involved was the 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command, including the 531st, 583rd, and 1258th Air Defence Regiments, the 331st and 332d Radio-Technical Regiments, plus other units stationed in the Murmansk, Chukotka and Arkhangelsk Oblasts. Air Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev said in an interview that by 2017 the Tiksi airport complex will be operational, and it will be garrisoned with upgraded MiG-31 interceptors.

A number of redesignations from 2014 changed the apparent order of battle. Air and Space Defence Brigades were changed back to the familiar nomenclature of Air Defence Divisions, and thus the 1st Air Defence Division (Russia) was reformed. The 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command returned to the previous title 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army. In January 2016, Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu announced that the Northern Fleet 45th Air and Air Defence Army (:ru:45-я армия ВВС и ПВО Северного флота) had been formed in December 2015. The force includes the 1st and 3rd Air Defence Divisions, and at least six other aircraft regiments, including the 100th and 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiments, and the 73rd Anti-Submarine Squadron Long Range of Tupolev Tu-142s.

Related information 
 Northern Fleet
 200th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade
 Arctic warfare
 Arctic policy of Russia

References 

Category:Military units and formations established in 2014
Category:Military units and formations of Russia
Category:2014 establishments in Russia