A third of dismissed warrant officers and midshipmen will be returned to the army. Why was an ensign needed in the Soviet army?

Modern army full of sophisticated military equipment and electronic devices. Soldiers conscript service They don’t always manage to master it perfectly within a year. Therefore, the army constantly experiences a shortage of mid-level technical specialists who ensure the constant combat readiness of equipment. The Institute of Contract Service partially eliminates this problem. But the educational level of contract soldiers and sergeants does not always correspond to the complexity of the assigned tasks. This is what led to the revival of the institution of warrant officers of the Russian Army, as mid-level technical specialists engaged in servicing specific types of weapons or performing command functions in small numbers military formations when performing special tasks.

History of the rank of ensign

The military rank of ensign first appeared in the Russian army during the time of the second tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1649. The name of the military rank comes from the old Russian “prapor” - banner. The title of ensign was awarded to the most courageous and physically strong warriors who carried the military banner in front of the advancing columns during the battle.
It was from those distant times that the rank of ensign occupied an intermediate position between soldiers and sergeants on the one hand and officers on the other.
Over the course of almost 250 years, the position of warrant officers in the army has changed. But the title, which was included by decree of Peter I in the Table of Ranks and which gave the right to privileges in the lowest XIV class of the Table, was not abolished until 1917.
Historically, warrant officers and their corresponding midshipmen in the navy were the first officer rank that did not provide full officer privileges, but already distinguished those holding this rank from among soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen.
Especially a large number of There were ensigns in the Russian army during the First World War of 1914-1918. It was the warrant officers who formed the backbone of the commanders commanding platoons or machine gun crews. In that historical period among the warrant officers there were mainly graduates of higher educational institutions and secondary technical schools, who were quickly trained under the junior officer program and immediately sent to the front line.
After the Great October Revolution of 1917, the rank of ensign, like the rest military ranks, was abolished. But, ironically, it was the former warrant officer Krylenko who became the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary red army, who was overnight elevated from junior officers to the position of full general.
For 55 years, the institution of warrant officers remained in oblivion, until in 1972, by order of the USSR Minister of Defense, it was revived in a new capacity - military specialists who filled the positions of senior officers or junior lieutenants, who also occupied an intermediate position between officers and non-commissioned officers in the army.
In the modern Russian army (with a short break from 2008 to 2013), the position and military rank of warrant officer is assigned to persons occupying technical positions or commanding small military contingents - combat crews of launchers, tanks, reconnaissance groups or directly servicing complex army equipment - means communications, military weapons serving in units logistics support associated with secret part or medical care military personnel.

Entering the service as a warrant officer

Until 2015, only persons who had passed or are passing military service by conscription or contract. In 2015, as an experiment, high school graduates also received this opportunity, who immediately after school, bypassing military service, can enter warrant officer schools.
The main document regulating the procedure for selecting candidates, undergoing a medical and psychological examination for suitability for the position of warrant officer is the “Instruction on sending candidates for study to schools for warrant officers and midshipmen”, issued on the basis of the Regulations on the procedure for military service, approved by Presidential Decree Russian Federation dated September 16, 1999 N 1237.

The procedure for selecting candidates for training at the school of warrant officers

The selection of candidates who have decided to connect their fate with the army and have expressed a desire to study at the school of warrant officers is carried out in military units on the basis of a report submitted by a conscript or contract soldier to the commander of the military unit. In this case, the length of service of a conscript soldier is important. Usually, reports submitted by soldiers and sergeants who have served more than half of their term are accepted for consideration. There are no such restrictions for persons serving under a contract. They can submit a report on being sent to study at the warrant officer school at the same time as concluding a contract and without being sent to military unit will immediately enroll as cadets in educational establishments training specialized technical specialists for various branches of the military.

Those who have expressed a desire to become a warrant officer should know that the largest number specialized schools for warrant officers train specialists for the missile forces strategic purpose, Aerospace Forces, border service and logistics support units. At the same time, the training of warrant officers for positions related to material and food support has been stopped. These positions in Russian army from now on, it is occupied by civilian personnel who are not in military service.

For persons those who did not serve in military service , or who retired after joining the reserves, but wishing to continue serving under a contract, the selection is made by the military commissariats at the candidate’s place of residence on the basis of an application submitted to the military commissar.
For persons undergoing military service or contract service - on the basis of a report addressed to the unit commander. In this case, the candidate’s approval for training is made certification commission military unit, taking into account education, health, moral and business qualities. Installed age limit for admission to ensign schools - 35 years.
The decision to enroll as a candidate for training at the warrant officer school is announced to the serviceman by the unit commander.
If the decision is positive, the candidate for training undergoes additional medical examination and professional selection, taking into account the existing military specialty or higher/secondary technical education.

Duration of training

The duration of training at the warrant officer school depends on the military specialty chosen by the candidate. They can vary from 5 to 10 months for persons who have completed compulsory military service and have a specialized military specialty, up to 2 years 10 months for persons who have not served in the army or are entering training in a specialty other than their existing one.
From the moment a candidate is enrolled in the school of warrant officers, he is excluded from the list of the military unit. Receives cash and clothing certificates, military travel documents and, within the time required for arrival at the warrant officer school 3 days before the start of classes, is sent to the location of the military unit at which this school or a separate military educational institution operates.
In case of untimely arrival at the place of training without good reason or violation of military discipline, the candidate is expelled from the educational institution and sent to the place of previous service for further service.
Upon completion of the school for warrant officers, by order of the commander military educational institution Graduates who successfully pass the exams are awarded the military rank of ensign and are sent to military units for service. Military pay for warrant officers is established at the level of junior officers. Warrant officers are subject to disciplinary sanctions on a par with officers. The period of service after graduation from the warrant officer school is determined by the terms of the contract, but cannot be less than 5 years.

The modern institution of the military rank of ensign has departed from those established in the Soviet, and subsequently the Russian, army, when warrant officers were mainly in charge of household, warehouse or food depots or held the positions of foremen of large military units.
In the modern Russian Army, an ensign is Technical Specialist mid-level, responsible for maintaining complex military equipment, managing combat vehicles with missile launchers, ensuring the uninterrupted operation of army communications, or carrying out combat duty at command posts as an assistant to a senior officer.
Military personnel who have completed the warrant officer school and have gained army experience are enrolled in higher education institutions without competition, provided successful completion exams and gain career prospects and professional growth already in officer ranks.

Photos from open sources

IN Ancient Rus' There were no military ranks, and commanders were named according to the number of soldiers under their command - foreman, centurion, thousand. We found out when and how majors, captains and generalissimos appeared in the Russian and other armies.

1. Ensign

Ensigns in the Russian army were originally called standard bearers. From the Church Slavonic language "prapor" is a banner. The title was first introduced in 1649 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Russian soldiers had to earn the high rank of ensign with their courage and military valor. The son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I, during the creation regular army in 1712 he introduced the military rank of ensign as the first (junior) rank of chief officer in the infantry and cavalry.

Since 1884, the first officer rank after leaving the military academy was second lieutenant (for cavalrymen - cornet), while the rank of ensign was retained by reserve officers, in the Caucasian militia and for wartime. In addition, soldiers who distinguished themselves during battle could receive the rank of ensign. Since 1886 lower ranks could take the ensign exam.

Candidates who passed the exam were in the reserve for 12 years and annually had to undergo six weeks of military training. In the fall of 1912, Nicholas II approved the Regulations on accelerated releases during the mobilization of the army from Pazhesky His Imperial Majesty corps, military and special schools. Now you could become a warrant officer after 8 months of training.

Thus, warrant officers became, as it were, “precocious officers,” which affected the attitude towards them in the Russian imperial army. From 1917 to January 1, 1972, the rank of warrant officer did not exist. In terms of status, the “new warrant officers” were higher than the sergeant major and lower than the junior lieutenant. In comparison with pre-revolutionary ranks, Soviet ensign was equal to a second ensign tsarist army. Since 2009, the institution of warrant officers has been liquidated, but in February 2013, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the return of the institutions of warrant officers and midshipmen to the army and navy. Elistratov’s “Dictionary of Russian Argot” notes that in army jargon, warrant officers are called “pieces.”

2. Sergeant

The word "sergeant" came into Russian from French (sergent), and into French from Latin (serviens). Translated as "employee". The first sergeants appeared in the 11th century in England. Only then they called it not the military, but the landowners who carried out various assignments for the king. In the 12th century, sergeants in England were also called employees who performed police functions. As a military rank, "sergeant" appeared only in the 15th century, during French army. After this, it passed into the German and English armies, and in the 17th century - into the Russian one. The rank was in use from 1716 to 1798, when Paul the First replaced the ranks of sergeant and senior sergeant with non-commissioned officer and sergeant major, respectively. In the Red Army, the rank of "sergeant" appeared on November 2, 1940.

The peculiarity of the Soviet sergeant corps was that sergeants were not career military personnel, but conscripts, which, according to the plan of the Soviet military leadership, increased the mobilization qualities of the army. This approach paid off - in December 1979, in 2 weeks, a large group of troops was formed to enter Afghanistan (50 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers). Absolutely excellent sergeant system in the US Army. According to 2010 data, sergeants there make up about 40% of the total number Armed forces. Of the more than 1,371,000 members of the US Army, 547 thousand are American sergeants. Of these: 241,500 are sergeants, 168,000 are staff sergeants, 100,000 are 1st class sergeants, 26,900 are master sergeants, 10,600 are sergeant majors. A sergeant in the US Army is first after God for soldiers and second lieutenants. Sergeants train them and take charge of them.

3. Lieutenant

The word "lieutenant" comes from the French lieutenant, which translates as "deputy". At the beginning of the 15th century in France this was the name given to persons commanding staff, who held the positions of deputy chiefs of detachments, and then deputy commanders of companies; in the navy, this is what they called deputy captains of ships. From the second half XVII century, "lieutenant" became a military rank.

In Spain of the 15th-16th centuries, the same position was called "lugar teniente" or simply "teniente". In Russia from 1701 to 1917 the rank of lieutenant was only at imperial fleet. In the USSR, the rank of lieutenant was introduced on September 22, 1935 as a primary officer rank, received upon completion of a military school or upon completion military department V civilian universities. Junior lieutenants are awarded the rank of lieutenant after deadline length of service with positive certification.

4. Captain

“Captain” and “kaput” are words with the same root. In Latin caput means head. Captain is translated as "military leader". For the first time, the title “captain” began to be used again in France; in the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the heads of military districts. Since 1558, company commanders began to be called captains, and the heads of military districts began to be called captains general.

In Russia, the rank of captain appeared in the 16th century. This is how company commanders began to be called. In the cavalry and dragoon regiments and gendarme corps since 1882, the captain was called a captain, and in the Cossack regiments - an esaul. Until 1917, the rank of army infantry captain was equal to the rank of a modern army major, and the rank of guard captain was equal to the rank of army lieutenant colonel. In the Red Army, the rank of captain was introduced on September 22, 1935. then for ship's personnel The Navy introduced the ranks of captain 1st, 2nd and 3rd rank and captain-lieutenant (the latter corresponds to the rank of captain). In artillery, the rank of captain corresponds to the position of battery commander (battler commander).

5. Major

Major is translated as "senior". Che Guevara is also a major, since in Spanish-speaking countries the rank of comandante is equal to major. The title appeared in the 17th century. This was the name given to the assistant regiment commanders responsible for food and guard duty. When regiments were divided into battalions, majors became battalion commanders. In the Russian army, the rank of major was introduced by Peter I in 1698. By analogy with major generals of that time, majors received not one star, as now, but two. The difference between the ranks was the fringe on the epaulettes.

For major generals it was a general's one, twisted, for majors it was a staff officer's one, made of thin threads. From 1716 to 1797, the Russian army also had the ranks of prime major and second major. The division was abolished by Paul the First. IN Cossack troops The rank of major corresponded to the rank of “military sergeant major,” and in civil ranks it corresponded to “collegiate assessor.”

In 1884, the rank of major was abolished, and majors became lieutenant colonels. In the Red Army, the rank of major was introduced in 1935; in the navy it corresponded to ship's rank captain of the 3rd rank. Interesting fact: Yuri Gagarin became the first senior lieutenant to become a major.

6. General and above

“General” means “chief,” but “marshal” translates as “groom” (the French maréchal still means “horseshoe blacksmith”). However, until 1917, marshal was the highest military rank in the Russian army, and after that, from the same 1935. But besides marshals and generals, there are also generalissimos. For the first time in Russian history, the title “Generalissimo” was granted on June 28, 1696 by Peter I to Voivode A.S. Sheina for successful actions near Azov (we are not talking about “amusing generalissimos”).

Officially, the military rank of generalissimo was introduced in Russia by the Military Regulations of 1716.

The generalissimos in Russian history were: Prince Alexander Menshikov (1727), Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick (1740), Alexander Suvorov (1799). After the Great Patriotic War, on June 26, 1945, by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council The USSR introduced the highest military rank "Generalissimo" Soviet Union". The next day, Joseph Stalin received this title. According to Rokossovsky’s memoirs, he personally persuaded Stalin to accept the title, saying that “there are many marshals, but there is only one generalissimo.” During the Brezhnev rule, there was talk about Leonid Ilyich receiving this too high rank, but... it didn’t work out.

7. Wash the stars

It is customary to wash the receipt of stars. And not only in Russia. It is difficult to establish where exactly this tradition came from today, but it is known that titles were washed during the Great Patriotic War, washed up promotions military service and in the army Russian Empire. The tradition is well known.

The stars are placed in a glass, it is filled with vodka, after which it is drunk, and the stars are caught with the teeth and placed on the shoulder straps.

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 officers’ level.

We spent thorough research, and we have created positions that do not need to be made officers, but it is also wrong to put them on the same level as sergeants, since to serve in them you need an average professional education. These are the positions that warrant officers will occupy,” Pankov explained.

According to him, contract soldiers in the new staffing table 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 low level 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, they will select for the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen the best specialists from among the contract soldiers. In 2013, according to Pankov, at contract service 30.4 thousand people entered, of which 67% have higher and professional education. And by the end of the year, the Ministry of Defense will open a special call for warrant officers 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. Particular attention will be paid 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.

WARRANT OFFICER, warrant officer, husband. (from church slav. ensign banner) (pre-Rev.). In the tsarist army, the officer rank, which was the first in war time(cf. second lieutenant). Wartime ensign. Reserve ensign. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Junior officer rank in the Russian army from the 17th century. (since 1884 only for reserve personnel and in wartime) and in the navy (since 1896, for reserve personnel). Military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces (since 1972), and some other armies. In 1981 in the Soviet Armed Forces... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Konstapel, collar, chest, ensign, piece, cornet Dictionary of Russian synonyms. ensign noun, number of synonyms: 8 constapel (1) ... Synonym dictionary

Ensign, ah, husband. 1. In the Soviet Army in certain branches of the military: the military rank of persons who voluntarily serve beyond the established period, as well as the person who has this rank (in some other armies, military rank). 2. In the tsarist army: the most... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

A; m. 1. In the Russian army until 1917: the most junior officer rank; the person who held this title. P. Semenovsky regiment. School of warrant officers. ● In Russia, the rank of ensign was introduced at the beginning of the 18th century; initially ensigns were standard bearers. 2. In… … encyclopedic Dictionary

ensign- a, m. 1) In the Russian army before 1917: the most junior officer rank, as well as the person who held this rank. There were only two officers in our company: the company commander, Captain Zaikin, and the subaltern officer, warrant officer Stebelkov... just released from... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

ENSIGN.- Known since the 17th century. Derived from prapor “banner”, borrowed. from Art. sl. language (originally Russian popor) and going back to the general word. *rogrog, formed by doubling the root horn, the same as in the feather, soar. Prapor literally means “fluttering”... ... Etymological dictionary Sitnikova

ensign- a, m. The most junior officer rank; person holding this title. Marya Gavrilovna was brought up on French novels, and consequently was in love. The subject she chose was a poor army ensign. // Pushkin. The stories of the late Ivan... ... Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words from works of Russian literature of the 18th-19th centuries

Genus. p.a. The banner was formed from the ensigns according to the German model. Fähnrich ensign, actual standard bearer: Fahne banner, Swiss German. Venner; see Shakhmatov, Essay 154; Falk-Thorp 288 et seq.; Kluge Götze 143 … Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Vasmer

ensign- Original. Known since the 17th century. Suf. derived from ensign “banner”, borrowed. from Art. sl. language (originally Russian poropor). Prapor obsesslav. *porporъ, doubling the root por, the same as in the pen, soar Prapor literally “flying” (canvas on the shaft) ... Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language

Books

Ensign of the dragon cavalry, Lantsov Mikhail Alekseevich. Viktor Orlov worthily bears the title of ensign of the border troops in the world of light elves. Should I grow wings and become an angel? No problem! Disperse the dragons with the fire of a four-barreled Shilka? Don’t...
Ensign of the dragon cavalry, Mikhail Lantsov. Viktor Orlov worthily bears the title of ensign of the border troops in the world of light elves. Should I grow wings and become an angel? No problem! Disperse the dragons with the fire of a four-barreled Shilka? Don’t...

Most people who are not related to the army have a very vague idea about warrant officers, which was formed based on watching television series or once heard jokes. For them, an ensign is best case scenario an enterprising businessman in uniform who, on occasion, “will not miss his opportunity,” and at worst, a kind of stupid drinker.

But in reality, everything is completely different.

Ensign: meaning of the word

The history of the word "ensign" goes back to Church Slavonic language, in which the banner was called “ensign”. Therefore, an ensign is a person who carries the banner. But the word “banner” comes from the lexeme “to know.” Other words came from him, such as “meaning”, “familiar”. Therefore, a banner is an attribute elevated to the level of a symbol, by which the affiliation of a military unit, its “face”, was determined. When going into battle, the standard bearer was always ahead of the advancing army, carrying a banner. Moreover, in the event of the loss of a battle flag, the military unit to which it belonged was disbanded in disgrace. Therefore, the bravest and strongest people, both physically and morally, were selected for such an honorable mission.

Ensign as a military rank

The military rank of "ensign" was first introduced in 1649 by the second of the kings of the Romanov dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich. Moreover, this title was a reward, which had to be earned on the battlefield with one’s valor, dedication and courage. But Peter I, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich, who succeeded him on the royal throne, when creating his new regular army, transformed the rank of ensign into a military rank in 1712. Now this is the name given to the junior officer rank in the infantry and cavalry.

Changes happened again in 1884. The rank of "warrant officer" ceased to be the first among officers. In the active army, he was replaced by “second lieutenant” (“cornet” in cavalry). However, as an officer rank, it was retained for reserve military personnel and the Caucasian militia. Also, the title “ensign” could be awarded to soldiers who particularly distinguished themselves during hostilities.

Since 1886, the younger ones military ranks the opportunity arose to receive the rank of warrant officer by passing special exams, but after that, already in the “reserve”, they had to undergo one and a half months annually

The next changes with the possibility of obtaining rank occurred during the reign of Nicholas II. In 1912, the monarch approved a provision that allowed the assignment of the rank of ensign to cadets of military and special schools in the event of their accelerated graduation (after 8 months of training) in connection with mobilization into the army.

Thus, during the war of 1914-1918, “precocious” warrant officers formed the basis of the command staff leading small units or machine gun crews.

55 years without warrant officers

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks (1917), the military rank of “ensign” was abolished, as, indeed, all other military ranks. What's interesting is the first Supreme Commander-in-Chief After 1917, N.V. Krylenko, who was an ensign under Nicholas II, joined the Red Army.

For 55 years, the Soviet army existed without the institution of warrant officers, and only on January 1, 1972, by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense, this rank returned to the country. The military department considered that the positions occupied by petty officers and junior lieutenants could be occupied by a separate category of military personnel - warrant officers (midshipmen in the navy). Thus, it turned out that the ensign is separate species military personnel who are neither soldiers nor officers, but at the same time clearly delineating the border between them.

Another attempt to get rid of warrant officers

In December 2008, Anatoly Serdyukov, who at that time was the Minister of Defense, again decided to eliminate the institution of warrant officers, hoping that they could be replaced by contract sergeants with higher education. At the same time, about 140,000 military personnel with the rank of “ensign” were dismissed from the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. But Sergei Shoigu, who replaced Serdyukov in April 2013, canceled this decision.

However, the staffing table was revised especially for warrant officers with the special wish of the new Ministry of Defense - “no warehouses or bases.”

New staffing table for warrant officers

Designed specifically for warrant officers (midshipmen), the new one included about a hundred positions, all of them classified as “combat.” Which were generally divided into two groups:

Commanders (commanders: platoons, combat groups, combat posts, vehicles).
Technical (electrician, head of a radio station, head of a repair shop, head of a technical unit, etc.).

That is, all the positions that Serdyukov decided to make sergeants from December 1, while absolutely not taking into account the fact that they require special secondary vocational education. The Ministry of Defense under the leadership of Shoigu corrected this by assigning positions for non-commissioned officers that corresponded to their professional positions. training (squad commander, combat vehicle commander, deputy platoon commander, etc.).

But it still couldn’t do without warehouses. The position of “warehouse manager” for warrant officers still remained, only now it concerned exclusively military warehouses - weapons. As for clothing and food items, it was decided to hand them over to civilian specialists for maintenance.

How to get the rank of warrant officer in the army

Currently, there are 13 warrant officer schools in Russia, where they train specialists for the armed forces. Therefore, to obtain the rank of “warrant officer” in the army, you can use the following methods:

Join the army for compulsory service. There, having shown yourself on the good side, make a written request to the command of the unit to be sent to study at the school of warrant officers. But there is one caveat. As a rule, the command considers reports only from those servicemen who have already served more than half of their allotted term.
If military service is already behind you, and a reserve serviceman has a desire to re-enter the army under a contract, then he can immediately declare his desire to enter the school of warrant officers without first being sent to
After concluding a contract, submit a report of your desire to study at the warrant officer school directly to the commander of your unit.

Also, some universities allow the admission of cadets who, even without having completed conscription service, but at the same time entered and studied at the university under the program secondary special education, are graduated with the rank of warrant officer. Thus, the Strategic Missile Forces Academy trains driver mechanics for mobile missile systems, since it is planned to completely eliminate the use of non-commissioned officers in this position.

Duration of training at warrant officer school

The duration of schooling directly depends on the military specialty chosen by the cadet. They can be 5-10 months if the cadet has already served his military service and already has a specialized specialty.

In the case of starting training “from scratch” (the cadet entered the study without completing military service or does not have a specialized military specialty) the period can be up to 2 years 10 months.

Upon completion of the warrant officer school, military personnel enter into a contract with the Defense Ministry for a period of at least 5 years.

Ensign today

In modern realities, existing stereotypes about warrant officers as warehouse managers have become irrelevant.

Nowadays, a warrant officer is a “technician” who is in charge of complex Combat vehicles and means of communication. He controls the transport transporting the launchers and takes up combat duty along with the officers.

The ensign in the modern Russian army has turned from a supply manager into a real military specialist.