Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that the armed forces will undergo comprehensive rearmament since 2011, local media reported.

"Comprehensive rearmament of the Russian army and Navy will begin in 2011," Interfax quoted Medvedev as saying at a meeting of the Defense Ministry.

The head of state said that conflicts in some regions of the world and the expansion of NATO required Russia to speed up the modernization of its troops, especially nuclear forces.

"An analysis of the military-political situation in the world shows that there is significant conflict potential in a number of regions. Threats fraught with local crises and international terrorism remain in place," he said, noting that "the attempts to enlarge NATO's military infrastructure are not ceasing."

"All this calls for qualitatively modernizing our armed forces and reshaping their image," he said.

He also said that the Russian Security Council will endorse a national security strategy for the period up to 2020.

Source: Xinhua