From the Jamestown Foundation: “General Makarov [Chief of the General Staff Army] confirmed this during a press conference on June 5, also characterizing the military reform as a response to the conventional strength of Western forces: ‘The U.S. and NATO armed forces’ superiority, many times over, in their general-purpose forces in all strategic sectors, is one of the threats to which Russia’s pre-reform armed forces could not have reacted adequately’ (Interfax, June 5).”