MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday pledged to raise the combat readiness of his country's strategic nuclear force to ward off any potential threat.

    "Enhancing the combat readiness of the strategic nuclear force remains one of the most important tasks. It must be capable of a quick and proportionate response to any aggressor," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying at a conference of senior officers.

    The statement came amid simmering tensions between Moscow and the West over an arms control treaty and anti-missile plans.

    "Mobile armed forces, equipped in line with the latest achievements in science and technology, are the chief guarantee of Russia's security," he said.

    Putin ordered the country's strategic bombers to resume patrol missions earlier this year.

    Test-firings and training launches of long-range missiles are also increasing against a background of Kremlin criticism of Washington's plans to deploy anti-missile systems in Central Europe.

    Earlier this month, the Russian parliament approved Putin's suggestion to suspend participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which imposes limits on tanks and troops deployed in NATO countries and former Warsaw Pact nations in eastern Europe.

    The CFE treaty, which was signed in 1990, aims to strike a balance between NATO members and former Warsaw Pact countries over conventional forces in Europe.

    NATO countries, however, have not ratified an adapted version of the treaty, which was agreed in 1999.