Reserve Officer Training in Russia

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Col. Leonid Khabarov leads the march of a Russian reserve officer training unit honor guard

Russian Reserve Officer Training system is intended for training commissioned officers from among students of Russian civilian institutions of higher education.

History[]

In Soviet era[]

Reserve Officer Training in Soviet Union was established in 1927.[1] Many military chairs and departments survived in Soviet universities and academies despite the setback which struck military education in the early 1990s after Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced his program of unilateral military force withdrawals and reductions.

At the moment of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, there were 397 civilian institutions of higher education which had military departments, in whole USSR,[2] and 241 Russian institutions retained military departments after that event.[3] Some institutions had several military departments, which subsequently were merged into few military faculties and 1 separate military institute led by Leonid Khabarov.

According to Lt. Col. F. Edward Jones, an American military analyst with the U.S. Army War College who studied Reserve Forces in the Soviet Military, not all men served on active duty with the Red Army.[4] All students, who were enrolled in a reserve officer training program while in school were exempt from conscript service. An undetermined number of them, particularly those in engineering fields, were later called to active duty as reserve officers for periods ranging from two to three years.[4]

There was a particular goal in cross-training civil specialists. In the classless society of the Soviet Union every individual was guaranteed a job. In so doing, those individuals that have a job, have a dual function. Truck drivers for example, worked for whatever organization their job is associated with; they could be drivers who shuttle machine parts from their factory in Kiev to outlying areas, but they were also registered with the local civilian transport enterprise (Avtokolonna) who receive requirements from the local Military commissariat (Voenkomat) for a designated number of trucks for mobilization or a particular military exercise. As these drivers are well trained and are driving a truck that they have driven many times before (civilian trucks are identical to the military version – one could do a one-for-one exchange and not suffer any decrement of the mission) the system works out very well. The commanders who are receiving these drivers with their trucks, know exactly how many vehicles they will receive, where they're coming from, their license numbers, and the driver's name. The same is applicable for the rest of the civil specialties, such as medics, mechanics, radio operators, telegraph operators or even jewelers, as well as many others.[4]

Christina F. Shelton, the USAF Intelligence employee, noted that contrary to the conventional military educational facilities, whose manpower could be estimated quite precisely, the extent of the Soviet reserve officer corps (those who receive commissions at civilian universities) was unknown.[5]

In post-Soviet era[]

The Reserve Officer Training system, inherited from the Soviet Union, involved selective conscription of graduates of civilian institutions of higher education (universities, academies and, strictly speaking, institutions), who have graduated the military departments of their almae matres and received a commission as an officer. Such person could be conscripted from the reserve of armed forces to active duty, but until the age of 27 only; the period of active duty of such officer was several years, and at the end of that period he was due to be enlisted in the reserve of armed forces again. Such officers were called "blazers" in army's slang (for example, Anatoly Kvashnin was a "blazer").[6]

Federal Law of 28 March 1998, №53-FZ «About military duty and military service»[7] (in version which was valid as 31 December 2007) provided that only full-time face-to-face learning students of civilian institution of higher education could be accepted to the military department of this civilian institution of higher education (hereinafter in the text also - university). Enrolling in the military department was voluntary for all students. After finishing military department’s course, including military training camps or traineeship in military units of regular armed forces, and passing the state final exam student was due to be presented the promotion to primary military officer rank (lieutenant). Graduate of the military department was due to be promoted to officer at the same time as his enlisting in the reserve of armed forces. However, the relevant order of ministry of defence entered into force subject to student’s successful graduation of university in main, civilian degree. Afterwards, such officer could be conscripted from the reserve of armed forces to active duty, but until the age of 27 only. The period of active duty of such officer was 2 years, and at the end of that period he was due to be enlisted in the reserve of armed forces again.

2005-2008 reform[]

In 2005, minister of defence Sergei Ivanov announced the forthcoming significant reduction in the number of military departments carrying out the training commissioned officers from among students of civilian institutions of higher education.[8] Until 2008, there were 235 civilian universities which had military departments, in Russia.[9] By March 2008, 168 of 235 civilian universities which previously had military departments had lost these units. In addition, 37 of 67 civilian universities which retained military departments became the basis for establishment of new training military centers.[10]

On 1 January 2008, the amendments, contained in Federal Law of 6 July 2006, №104-FZ,[11] entered into force. According to these amendments, conscription of reserve officers was abolished (with exception of short-dated military camps in peaceful time and wartime mobilization). Thus, university graduates, who have graduated the military departments of their almae matres, were not subject to conscription to active duty no more (previously the state has conscripted them selectively). In the same time, the amendments provided the new type of military training unit in universities – Training Military Center. The difference between the training military centers and the military departments was that absolutely all of graduates of training military centers were due to be enrolled for active duty immediately upon the university graduation. The period of active duty of such officers was 3 years. Enrolling in the training military center was voluntary.

Overall, the training military centers focused on training officers for active duty, whilst the military departments focused on training officers for reserve.[12]

Starting on 6 March 2008, there were 37 training military centers and 67 military departments or military faculties (military faculty consists some various fields military departments) in civilian universities in Russia. Wherein, the military departments or the military faculties continued to operate in all of 37 civilian universities where training military centers were established (i.e. 37 universities had trainig military centers and military departments or faculties at the same time but 30 universities had military departments or faculties only).[13][14]

2019 reform[]

On 1 January 2019, the amendments, contained in Federal Law of 3 August 2018, №309-FZ,[15] entered into force. According to these amendments, the military departments, the military faculties, the training military centers were abolished. From now on, students are trained under both officers training programmes (for reserve and for active duty) in the Military Training Centers ( [ru]).[16]

Starting on 13 March 2019, there are the military training centers in 93 civilian universities in Russia.[17]

List of Russian civilian institutions of higher education having military training centers[]

Central Military District[]

Barnaul[]

Chelyabinsk[]

Irkutsk[]

Kazan[]

Krasnoyarsk[]

Kyzyl[]

Novosibirsk[]

Omsk[]

Penza[]

Samara Oblast[]

Samara[]
Tolyatti[]

Saratov[]

Tomsk[]

Ufa[]

Ulyanovsk[]

Yekaterinburg[]

Eastern Military District[]

Chita[]

Khabarovsk Krai[]

Khabarovsk[]
Komsomolsk-on-Amur[]

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky[]

Ulan-Ude[]

Vladivostok[]

Northern Military District[]

Murmansk[]

Southern Military District[]

Krasnodar Krai[]

Krasnodar[]
Novorossiysk[]

Rostov Oblast[]

Novocherkassk[]
Rostov-on-Don[]

Stavropol[]

Vladikavkaz[]

Volgograd[]

Territory of Crimea peninsula[18][]

Sevastopol[]
Simferopol[]

Western Military District[]

Belgorod[]

Ivanovo[]

Kostroma[]

Kursk[]

Moscow and Moscow Oblast[]

Lyubertsy[]
Moscow[]

Nizhny Novgorod[]

Petrozavodsk[]

Ryazan[]

Saint Petersburg[]

Tambov[]

Tula[]

Vladimir Oblast[]

Kovrov[]

Voronezh[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Материалы ГУ РККА в РВС СССР о допризывной подготовке в высших гражданских учебных заведениях СССР". Российский Государственный Военный Архив Ф. 33987. Оп.1. Д. 651. Л. 1-4. Подлинник., Analytical summary No. 46982 of 6 January 1927 (in Russian). Главное Управление Рабоче-Крестьянской Красной Армии.
  2. ^ "Об утверждении Положения о военной подготовке студентов (курсантов) высших учебных заведений по программе офицеров запаса и Перечня высших учебных заведений, в которых устанавливается военная подготовка студентов (курсантов) по программе офицеров запаса". Decree No. 880 of 31 August 1990 (in Russian). Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
  3. ^ "Об утверждении Перечня военных кафедр при государственных образовательных учреждениях высшего профессионального образования". Decree No. 690 of 20 July 1993 (in Russian). Council of Ministers of Russia - Government of Russia.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jones, F. Edward. (April 2, 1990). Reserve Forces in the Soviet Military (PDF) (An Individual Study Project: Unclassified). USAWC Military Studies Program Paper. Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College. p. 32.
  5. ^ Shelton, Christina F. (September 25–27, 1980). The Soviet Military Education : System for Commissioning and Training Officers (PDF). Reston, Virginia: International Conference Center. p. 19. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  6. ^ Troshev, Gennadiy (2001). Моя война. Чеченский дневник окопного генерала [My war. Chechen diary of trench general] (in Russian). Moscow: Вагриус. ISBN 5-264-00657-1.
  7. ^ "О воинской обязанности и военной службе" [About military duty and military service]. Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 (in Russian). State Duma.
  8. ^ Karamayev, Sergey (1 July 2005). "Чем меньше кафедр — тем крепче оборона. Министерство обороны хочет закрыть военные кафедры в российских вузах". Lenta.ru (in Russian).
  9. ^ "Об обучении граждан Российской Федерации по программам подготовки офицеров запаса на военных кафедрах при государственных, муниципальных или имеющих государственную аккредитацию по соответствующим направлениям подготовки (специальностям) негосударственных образовательных учреждениях высшего профессионального образования". Decree No. 768 of 12 October 2000 (in Russian). Government of Russia.
  10. ^ "Названы вузы, в которых создадут военные центры". RBK (in Russian). 11 March 2008.
  11. ^ "О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации в связи с сокращением срока военной службы по призыву". Federal Law No. 104-FZ of 6 July 2006 (in Russian). State Duma.
  12. ^ "Об обучении граждан Российской Федерации по программе военной подготовки в федеральных государственных образовательных организациях высшего образования". Decree No. 152 of 6 March 2008 (in Russian). Government of Russia.
  13. ^ "Об учебных военных центрах, факультетах военного обучения и военных кафедрах при федеральных государственных образовательных учреждениях высшего профессионального образования". Order No. 275-R of 6 March 2008 (in Russian). Government of Russia.
  14. ^ "Названы вузы, в которых создадут военные центры". RBK (in Russian). 11 March 2008.
  15. ^ "О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации в части совершенствования военной подготовки студентов федеральных государственных образовательных организаций высшего образования". Federal Law No. 309-FZ of 3 August 2018 (in Russian). State Duma.
  16. ^ "Об утверждении Положения о военных учебных центрах при федеральных государственных образовательных организациях высшего образования и о признании утратившими силу некоторых актов Правительства Российской Федерации". Decree No. 848 of 3 July 2019 (in Russian). Government of Russia.
  17. ^ Order No. 427-R of 13 March 2019 (in Russian). Government of Russia.
  18. ^ The territory of Crimea peninsula is annexed by Russia. Ukraine and the majority of the international community continue to regard this territory as the part of Ukraine but de facto it is under Russian control.
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