21.  According to Russian news media, the strategic forces have been in better shape than other branches of the military.

22.  He said there is nothing the United States can do to prevent China from modernizing its strategic forces.

23.  In a front-page story, it said the strategic forces are already so desperate for cash that they hire out soldiers for menial work like picking potatoes.

24.  Land-based nuclear missiles make up the core of the Russian strategic forces.

25.  Meleshko is now an adviser to Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, who served as strategic forces chief before his appointment to the ministry last year.

26.  Rocket trains have been deployed in the Russian nuclear forces for some years, but Baturin indicated they would become the backbone of the strategic forces.

27.  The strategic forces have also found a cheap solution to the so-called millennium bug, he said.

28.  The two sides signed a protocol, said Vladimir Kotelnikov of the Russian strategic military forces told the Interfax news agency.

29.  This is a key element of our strategic deterrent force.

30.  Unlike most Russian military officials, who bemoan the state of their forces and plead for more money, Yakovlev was upbeat about the condition of the strategic forces.