Reserve Officer Training in Russia

Reserve Officer Training in Soviet Union was established in the 1920s. 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. There are 48 military chairs, and 16 military departments within the Russian Ministry of Education, plus one military department, which has been expanded to a separate institute led by Leonid Khabarov.[1]

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

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.[2] 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.[2]

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.[2]

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.[3]

Until 2008, there were 229 civilian institutions of higher education (universities, academies and, strictly speaking, institutions), which had military departments, in Russia.[4]

Federal Law of 28 March 1998, №53-FZ «About military duty and military service»[5] (in version which were 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.

On 1 January 2008, the amendments, contained in Federal Law of 6 July 2006, №104-FZ,[6] 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.[7]

Starting on 6 March 2008, there were 37 training military centers and 68 military departments or military faculties (military faculty consists some various fields military departments) in universities in Russia. Wherein, the military departments or the military faculties continued to operate in all of 37 universities where training military centers were established.[8]

On 1 January 2019, the amendments, contained in Federal Law of 3 August 2018, №309-FZ,[9] 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.[10]

Starting on 13 March 2019, there are the military training centers in 93 universities in Russia.[11]