-The latest military reform plan
-To cut the number of officers by more than half, to 150,000, by 2012. The number of generals and admirals will fall from 1,107 to 886
-To cut the number of military units in the ground forces from 1,890 to 172 within three years
-The four-tier system inherited from the Soviet army -- where the line of command is from a military district, to army, to division to regiment -- will be replaced with a streamlined three-tier system in which brigades will play a central role
-Under the plan, brigades – units bigger than regiments and smaller than divisions, will be largely self-contained, combat-ready forces which are highly mobile and can be deployed quickly in an emergency