Lessons learned from conversion in Russia and Western Europe

Conversion in Russia, after several attempts between 1988 and 1995, is often compared to restructuring of the defense industry in the West and then described as a failure. However, the methods applied for downsizing defense production capacities and industry restructuring (rather than converting to non-military production) were quite similar in Russia and Western Europe. Conversion at the factory level has only been modestly successful in Western Europe when considering some adverse circumstances of the early 1990s. Conversion in Russia had hardly any chance for success when considering the dramatic decline of the economy at large. Partial re-use of resources, of persons employed or of technologies available has been accomplished more efficiently.