A True Father to His Troops, By Alexander Golts, Moscow Times Opinion Columnist

At first glance, it would seem that the Nov. 20 gathering of the military's top brass was filled with positive news only.

Putin emphasized the growing threat that the country is facing: "In violation of previous agreements, military resources of NATO members are being built up next to our borders. Of course, we cannot allow ourselves to remain indifferent to this obvious muscle-flexing."

We can only guess what he meant in referring to NATO's "muscle-flexing" on Russia's borders. Perhaps he meant the four jets that patrol the airspace of the Baltic states?
Moreover, Putin decided to play the role of the caring "father to his troops."

According to script, the image of the caring father of the troops should be combined with a certain sternness that is suitable for the commander in chief. In this capacity, Putin fired the military's chief of construction, blaming him for the fact that officers are still living in "stinking slums."

Putin also staged a public dressing-down of a senior general over this same housing issue, despite the fact that the general was responsible for health care in the military and had no connection whatsoever with housing.

This is one example of how the commander in chief is increasingly alienated from the real state of affairs in the military.
As we can see, there is nothing heroic here. Serdyukov is trying to put the army in at least some kind of order and to improve the way the armed forces are managed.

...Putin doesn't need the armed forces for the purposes of defending the country. He needs the military for public relations and propaganda purposes.