A brief history of the ensign. What was the ensign responsible for in the Soviet army?

The Ministry of Defense plans to restore the institution of warrant officers and midshipmen in the Russian army, but their number will be three times less than before the radical reform of ex-Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov.

“As Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said, today we're talking about about the return of approximately 55 thousand positions of warrant officers and midshipmen, although it should be noted that before 2009 we had 142 thousand of them,” RIA Novosti quotes State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev, who refers to Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov.

The elimination of the institution of warrant officers and midshipmen in the Russian army began in 2009, along with a general reduction in the armed forces. According to the plans of the then military leadership, warrant officers in the army were to be replaced by professional contract sergeants, but this idea remained unrealized.

“The institution of warrant officers has been abolished in the army. We had 142 thousand warrant officers. As of December 1, 2009, there were none left. Approximately 20 thousand warrant officers who held command positions were appointed, the rest were dismissed or transferred to the positions of sergeants,” reported the then Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov.

Deputy Zhuravlev suggests that funds for the restoration of warrant officers and midshipmen in the army will be allocated from the budget through the sergeant training program.

“It would take quite a lot of time to develop a new federal target program, so the funds will most likely be allocated from the federal budget, and we will support this if the Minister of Defense makes such a request,” the deputy noted.

Institute of Warrant Officers and Midshipmen modern type appeared in 1972. The ranks were awarded after graduating from the schools of warrant officers and midshipmen, but they could also be received by military personnel with higher education. Most warrant officers were engaged in the maintenance and operation of military equipment, which soldiers could not master during the period of military service, as well as in the logistics support system. Warrant officers often held positions corresponding to junior officers

The return of the institution of warrant officers and midshipmen has become expected, says the head of the Center for Military Forecasting, Anatoly Tsyganok.

“If in the army the former minister and the chief of the General Staff eliminated warrant officers, then in the Internal Troops, and in the FSB, and in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, warrant officers remained,” says the expert and focuses specifically on the Ministry of emergency situations, which was previously headed by the current Minister of Defense.

Tsyganok explains that in practice, the planned optimization of troop control turned out to be complications. “When the regiments turned into brigades, we were told that this was necessary for better management. And what happened: in the motorized rifle regiment there were 200 officers and 200 warrant officers, in the tank regiment there were 200 officers and 100 warrant officers. The ensigns were cut, and 1,800 people were added to the regiment; now there are not enough officers,” says Tsyganok.

According to him, many of the warrant officers dismissed from the army went to serve in Internal troops and now they can return to their units. “They were initially appointed to equipment maintenance positions, now they can return to the same positions - primarily as deputy technical technicians (deputy for equipment - Gazeta.Ru). They are needed in submarine fleet, V long-range aviation, Strategic Missile Forces, Space Force“, the expert summarizes.

At the same time, Tsyganok draws attention to the fact that the creation of an institute of professional sergeants failed. “Out of 80% of those who signed the contract, they refuse to conclude it for the next term,” notes the head of the Center for Military Forecasting.

The return of the institution of warrant officers and midshipmen to the army will be Shoigu’s next step in revising military reform Serdyukov. Previously, the new minister ordered the restoration of the military education system, then it became known that the composition of the main commands of the Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy had been increased two to three times.

How to get the rank of ensign in the army Russian Federation

In order to receive the rank of warrant officer in the army of the Russian Federation, you must go through a special school for warrant officers. There are currently thirteen such schools in the Russian Federation. However, this will be possible to do only if he undergoes military service in the ranks of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. There you need to show yourself with positive side, and then contact the command military unit with a report on the issuance of a referral to the school of warrant officers. But there is one nuance here, which lies in the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases it considers reports on the assignment of warrant officers to the school only from soldiers who have served at least half of their allotted term.

If a person has already passed conscript service in the ranks of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and he has a desire to join the army again, but on a contract basis, then he can enter the school of warrant officers immediately, that is, without receiving a referral from a specific unit.

Positions for warrant officers provided for in the Russian Federation

All positions for warrant officers that exist in the armed forces of the Russian Federation can be divided into the following groups:

1) command positions;
2) technical positions.

The command positions that are provided for warrant officers in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, in particular, include the position of platoon commander, the position of combat group commander, the position of combat post commander, and the position of vehicle commander.

As for the technical positions that are provided for warrant officers in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, these include the position of an electrician, the position of a radio station manager, the position of a repair shop manager, the position of a technical unit manager, as well as the position of a weapons warehouse manager.

Ranks and responsibilities of a warrant officer

The ranks and responsibilities of a warrant officer in the armed forces of the Russian Federation are generally not numerous. There are only two ensign ranks: simply warrant officer and senior warrant officer. Accordingly, a warrant officer is not particularly interested in promoting his rank to senior warrant officer. Length of service does not matter much to him either.

As for the duties of warrant officers in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, there are only five of them:

1) unquestioning adherence to absolutely all instructions of the junior officers of the armed forces of the Russian Federation;
2) providing assistance to junior officers of the armed forces of the Russian Federation;
3) participation in liquidation various kinds emergency situations;
4) providing assistance to colleagues who are junior in position;
5) preparation for the transition to junior officers of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Law on warrant officers

The law on warrant officers is as follows regulations Russian Federation:

1) Regulations “On the procedure for military service,” which was adopted on September sixteen, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine;
2) the federal law Russian Federation “On Education”;
3) Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On military duty and military service,” which was adopted on the twenty-eighth of March one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight;
4) Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On the Status of Military Personnel”.

Ensign as a person

An ensign in the armed forces of the Russian Federation as a person is much more humane compared to an officer. This is explained, first of all, by the fact that he lives civil life, and the army for him, unlike officers, is not a service, but a job. In addition, almost every warrant officer in the armed forces of the Russian Federation is actually subordinate to either the deputy commander for logistics or the deputy commander for weapons. Warrant officers practically do not fall under the jurisdiction of the main command of a military unit.

For ordinary officers, warrant officers in the armed forces of the Russian Federation also by and large don't care. Although not in all cases. But in any case, the subordination of warrant officers to officers is only formal.

In any specialized troops of the Russian Federation, a warrant officer may also be an instructor in any specific area military training. For example, an instructor hand-to-hand combat, swimming instructor. But even in this case, the main qualities social behavior the ensign and his character traits continue to retain their strength. However, they can also be supplemented by such a quality as ideological fanaticism, which is explained by the specific nature of the work performed by the ensign. This makes the ensign even less sensitive to his social position.

Thus, a warrant officer in the armed forces of the Russian Federation feels very at ease. That is, he is his own commander. One could even say that as a person the ensign represents a separate psychological and social type military man.

Important! For all questions about warrant officers in the ranks of the Russian armed forces, if you don’t know what to do and where to contact:

Call 8-800-777-32-63.

Or you can ask a question in any pop-up window, so that a lawyer on your question can answer and advise you as quickly as possible.

Lawyers and advocates who are registered on Russian Legal Portal, will try to help you from a practical point of view in the current issue and advise you on all issues of interest.

On July 1, the Ministry of Defense introduced a new staffing table, in which for the first time in five years special positions appeared for warrant officers and midshipmen. In December 2008, the then Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov announced the liquidation of the institution of warrant officers and the dismissal of 140 thousand military personnel in this rank from the army. However, in April 2013, Sergei Shoigu this decision canceled.

As the head of the Main Personnel Directorate (GUK) of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel General Viktor Goremykin, told Izvestia, about 100 positions have been allocated for warrant officers and midshipmen, among which only combat ones - “no warehouses, no bases” was the main requirement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

These positions are generally divided into command positions (commander of a service platoon, commander of a combat group, combat vehicle, combat post) and technical positions (company technician, head of a radio station, electrician, paramedic, head of a repair shop, head of a technical unit, etc.). From December 1, 2008, these positions were considered sergeant positions.

As State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Nikolai Pankov explained to Izvestia, the positions of warrant officers require special education, but “do not reach” the level of officers.

We conducted thorough research, and we came up with positions that do not need to be made officers, but it is also wrong to put them on the same level as sergeants, since service in them requires secondary vocational education. These are the positions that warrant officers will occupy,” Pankov explained.

According to him, contract soldiers in the new staffing table they were given very simple positions: soldiers - gunner, radio operator, medical instructor, etc.; Sergeants are a little more complex: squad leader, tank commander, deputy platoon commander, crew chief, etc.

At the same time, officer positions still start from commanders of platoons, companies, artillery and anti-aircraft batteries and end with the highest general positions - commanders of armies, military districts, branches and types of troops.

According to Pankov, warrant officers will be trained according to the principle of sergeant schools opened three years ago. In 2009, the Ministry of Defense planned to organize 16 centers at military universities for the training of “new model” sergeants, who would receive a diploma of secondary vocational education upon graduation.

However, already in 2010, the department was faced with a shortage of cadets due to high requirements and the low level of knowledge of applicants. In total, the sergeant centers managed to graduate about 3 thousand people.

Here we cannot say that it did not work out with professional sergeants. We only had the first graduation of such sergeants. But we believe that there are positions in the Armed Forces that are on the border between officer and sergeant. And people need to be trained differently for these positions. Therefore, we will borrow the approaches that were implemented in the training of sergeants, but we will train not sergeants, but warrant officers,” Pankov explained.

According to the Secretary of State, the revival of the institution of warrant officers will begin with the transfer to new positions of 45.8 thousand warrant officers and midshipmen who, after the reform, remained to serve in sergeant and petty officer positions. By the end of the year, their number is planned to increase to 53 thousand.

For this purpose, the best specialists from among contract soldiers will be selected for the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen. In 2013, according to Pankov, at contract service 30.4 thousand people entered, of which 67% have higher and professional education. And before the end of the year, the Ministry of Defense will open a special call for warrant officer positions at military registration and enlistment offices, similar to recruitment for contract service - after professional selection and passing a medical commission.

As the head of the Main Directorate explained to Izvestia, the criteria for selecting “new warrant officers” will be service qualities, motivation for military service, and professional suitability. Special attention will be to physical fitness warrant officers - they will have to fulfill sports standards for running and pulling up.

It is noteworthy that the position of warehouse manager, which Shoigu did not like so much, is still provided for in the new staffing table for warrant officers, but it concerns only military warehouses - with weapons and ammunition (missile and artillery weapons warehouses). Food and clothing warehouses will be serviced by civilian specialists.

In order to know exactly how, according to the regulations, you are supposed to address a military personnel, you need to understand the ranks. Ranks in the Russian Army and shoulder straps provide clarity in relationships and allow you to understand the chain of command. In the Russian Federation there is both a horizontal structure - military and naval ranks, and a vertical hierarchy - from the rank and file to the highest officers.

Rank and file

Private is the lowest military rank in the Russian Army. Moreover, the soldiers received this title in 1946, before that they were addressed exclusively as fighters or Red Army soldiers.

If the service is carried out in a guards military unit or on a guards ship, then when addressing a private, it is worth adding the same word "guard". If you want to contact a military personnel who is in the reserve and has a higher legal diploma, or medical education, then you should contact - "Private Justice", or "private medical service". Accordingly, it is worth adding the appropriate words to someone who is in reserve or retired.

In a ship, the rank of private corresponds to sailor.

Only senior soldiers who best carry military service, receive the title Corporal. Such soldiers can act as commanders during the latter's absence.

All additional words that were applicable for a private remain relevant for a corporal. Only in Navy, corresponds to this title Senior sailor.

The one who commands a squad or combat vehicle receives the rank Lance Sergeant. In some cases, this rank is assigned to the most disciplined corporals upon transfer to the reserve, if such a staff unit was not provided for during service. In the ship's composition it is "sergeant major of the second article"

From November 1940 to Soviet army a rank appeared for junior command staff - sergeant. It is awarded to cadets who have successfully completed the sergeant training program and graduated with honors.
A private can also receive the rank - Lance Sergeant who has proven himself worthy to be appropriated another rank, or upon transfer to the reserve.

In the Navy, Sergeant ground forces corresponds to rank foreman.

Next comes the Senior Sergeant, and in the Navy - chief petty officer.

After this rank, there is some overlap between land and sea forces. Because after senior sergeant, in the ranks of the Russian army appears Sergeant Major. This title came into use in 1935. Only the best military personnel who served excellently in sergeant positions for six months deserve it, or upon transfer to the reserve, the rank of sergeant major is awarded to senior sergeants certified with excellent results. On the ship it is - chief petty officer.

Next come warrant officers And midshipmen. This special category military personnel, close to junior officers. Complete the rank and file, senior warrant officer and midshipman.

Junior officers

A number of junior officer ranks in the Russian Army begin with the rank Ensign. This title is awarded to final year students and graduates of higher military educational institutions. However, in the event of a shortage of officers, a graduate of a civilian university can also receive the rank of junior lieutenant.

Lieutenant Only a junior lieutenant can become a junior lieutenant who has served a certain amount of time and received a positive educational certificate. Further - senior lieutenant.

And he closes the group of junior officers - Captain. This title sounds the same for both ground and naval forces.

By the way, the new field uniform from Yudashkin obligated our military personnel to duplicate insignia on the chest. There is an opinion that the “runaways” from the leadership do not see the ranks on our officers’ shoulders and this is done for their convenience.

Senior officers

Senior officers begin with rank Major. In the navy, this rank corresponds to Captain 3rd rank. The following Navy ranks will only increase the rank of captain, that is, the rank of land Lieutenant Colonel will correspond Captain 2nd rank, and the rank Colonel – Captain 1st rank.

Senior officers

And the highest officer corps completes the hierarchy of military ranks in the Russian army.

Major General or Rear Admiral(in the navy) - such a proud title is worn by military personnel who command a division - up to 10 thousand people.

Above the Major General is Lieutenant General. (The lieutenant general is higher than the major general because the lieutenant general has two stars on his shoulder straps and the major general has one).

Initially, in the Soviet army, it was more likely not a rank, but a position, because the Lieutenant General was an assistant to the general and took on part of his functions, in contrast to Colonel General, who can personally fill senior positions, as in General Staff, and in the Ministry of Defense. In addition, in the Russian armed forces, a Colonel General may be the deputy commander of a military district.

And finally, the most important serviceman who has the highest military rank in the Russian army is Army General. All previous links must obey him.

About military ranks in video format:

Well, new guy, have you figured it out now?)

Feb. 27th, 2013 | 04:31 pm

IN Russian army 55 thousand warrant officers and midshipmen will be returned. Alexei Zhuravlev, a member of the State Duma Committee on Defense, comments on this news: “Schools for warrant officers provided the army with a category of specialists - both logistics specialists and specialists who could work on highly complex equipment. There is a catastrophic shortage of such specialists now.”

By reducing warrant officers, the ministry was counting on an increase in conscripts with higher education. There are now about 20% of such conscripts, but few of them remain to serve under contract.

The ranks of warrant officers and midshipmen were abolished in 2009 during the military reform of Anatoly Serdyukov, who served as head of the Ministry of Defense. Then more than 140 thousand warrant officers and midshipmen were laid off, transferred to the reserve or transferred to other positions.

Military Internet information analyst Oleg Pavlov learned everything about the rank of warrant officer.

Look at his certificate

The rank of ensign in the Russian army

The rank of ensign in the Russian army was introduced in 1630 as the primary chief officer rank for foreign regiments, and then enshrined in the Charter of 1647. The status of an ensign was higher than a corporal and lower than a lieutenant. Since 1680, by Decree of Fyodor Alekseevich, the rank was extended to all regiments, including Streltsy (where before that there was no equivalent rank), the rank became higher in status than lieutenant and lower than lieutenant.

In 1722, with the introduction of the Table of Ranks, Peter I tried to replace the rank of ensign with the rank of fendrik, but it did not take root; the rank of ensign disappeared only in the artillery and pioneer troops, where the rank of bayonet-cadet was introduced, which was listed a grade higher. Ensigns of all other branches of the military belonged to the XIV class of the Table, ensigns of the guard - to the XII class, and were titled “Your Honor.”

Until 1845, the rank of ensign was given by hereditary nobility, then until 1856 - only personal, then only hereditary honorary citizenship.

From January 1, 1827, the insignia of an ensign was one star on the chief officer's epaulette, and from April 28, 1854, an ensign's shoulder strap appeared - with one gap and one star on it.

Wartime ensign, First World War

After the reform of 1884, the rank of ensign became an optional wartime rank for the army and guard.

Since 1886, all warrant officers at the end of hostilities had to either be promoted to second lieutenant (midshipman in the navy) or be transferred to the reserve. Mass production of warrant officers took place with the beginning of the First World War to cover the loss of senior officer personnel in front-line units, and they were both trained in special schools (warrant officer schools) and were produced in an accelerated manner from volunteers and non-commissioned officers, the latter for production it was enough to have two military awards (medals or crosses) and an education of at least four classes.

Since 1907, and due to the introduction of the rank of ordinary warrant officer, warrant officers have become higher in status than ordinary warrant officers and lower than second lieutenants.

Usually warrant officers were appointed as platoon commanders and to positions equal to them. An ensign, awarded an order or an award weapon for military distinction, was subject to promotion to second lieutenant (an ensign in the Admiralty of a ship's personnel - to midshipman), but during the First World War this rule was sometimes violated, as a rule, in relation to warrant officers who were promoted from non-commissioned officers and who had no education at all.

Civil War

The junior lieutenant of the Red Army corresponded in rank to the pre-revolutionary ensign.
In the white armies, the rank was abolished in 1919. Ensigns were subject to recertification as cornets and second lieutenants, but newly recruited volunteer ensigns remained in this rank for some time.
In the Red Army, the rank of ensign corresponded to the rank of junior lieutenant, introduced in 1937 on August 5, 1937 as an addition to the resolution of the Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of September 22, 1935 on the introduction of military ranks.

The rank of ensign in the Soviet and Russian armies

In 1917-1972 in the Red Army, then in the Soviet Army until 1972, the rank called ensign did not exist. It was introduced on January 1, 1972. At the same time, the rank of midshipman was equated to him, which previously corresponded to a land sergeant major and had the corresponding shoulder strap. The former midshipman began to be called the chief ship's foreman. In terms of their official position, duties and rights, warrant officers occupied a place close to junior officers, being their closest assistants and superiors for soldiers (sailors) and sergeants (foremen) of the same unit. In this period, the status of an ensign was higher than that of a sergeant major and lower than that of a junior lieutenant. Since 1981, the higher rank of senior warrant officer was introduced, corresponding to the pre-revolutionary mediocre warrant officer. Military rank An ensign was assigned, as a rule, upon completion of ensign schools.

Since the beginning of 2009, the elimination of the regular category of warrant officers and midshipmen in armed forces Russian Federation. It was assumed that warrant officers and midshipmen would be replaced by professional contract sergeants. At that time, 140 thousand warrant officers and midshipmen were serving in the army and navy. By the end of 2009, all of them were transferred to other positions, laid off or transferred to the reserve.