A proposed reform of Russia's nuclear forces has exploded into a major conflict among the military's top brass, causing what the Russian media described as an "unprecedented" revolt against Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev.

A former chief of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Sergeyev insists Russia must develop its nuclear weapons to deter potential aggressors at a time when its conventional forces are in disarray.

But as Russia's offensive against rebels in Chechnya drags on, commanders of conventional forces are demanding more money for tanks and artillery, and some suggest that nuclear weapons programs are taking up too much of the military funding.

"There is a crisis within the military: There is not enough money, so who should get the resources?" independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said.

"Either we have some success in local wars such as in Chechnya –and nuclear arms are no good for that – or we buy conventional weapons – but then we should forget that Russia is a nuclear power," he said in a telephone interview Thursday.

The conflict blew up on Wednesday, when the military's top brass gathered to discuss how to restructure the armed forces to preserve their combat capability in the face of severe financial shortages.

Sergeyev was advocating his long-time plan to beef up Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, making them the core of a new Strategic Deterrent Force into which the nuclear capabilities of the Navy and the Air Force would be incorporated.

But General Staff chief Anatoly Kvashnin struck against Sergeyev, addressing the meeting with his own reform plan that envisages significant cuts in the Strategic Missile Forces, and calls for incorporating them into the Air Force –thus significantly reducing their status.

Kvashnin also proposed boosting the number of conventional units that Russia can deploy in the turbulent southwest, where Chechnya is located, and in Central Asia, where Russia is trying to fight the growing drugs trade from Afghanistan.

"For the first time in the history of the Russian Army, the General Staff chief openly went against the defense minister," the daily Kommersant said Thursday. "What happened ... can only be described as a coup attempt in the military," it said.

The daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta called Kvashnin's expression of dissent "an unprecedented step."

Felgenhauer said the dispute signaled a split among the military, which had hoped for increased funding when President Vladimir Putin came to power earlier this year, but it has seen its hopes crashed.

"The military expected that the president will give them money," he said. "But Putin's policy turned out to be completely different."

The meeting of military leaders failed to reach agreement after the heated session Wednesday. Participants have decided to finalize their proposals and send them to Putin for a final decision, first deputy chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Manilov, told a news conference Thursday.

Meanwhile, chief of the Defense Ministry's international cooperation department, Gen. Leonid Ivashov, tried to play down the conflict. "When a reform of the armed forces is under way, there are always a lot of discussions," Ivashov told reporters. "It's a normal procedure."

But Felgenhauer said the dispute had much more sinister undertones, as the first sign of the Army's displeasure with the government.

"This is the start of a very serious ... crisis within the armed forces, and between the armed forces and the government," he said.