August in Russia traditionally opens with a series of military holidays. The first of these is the Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This holiday is celebrated annually on August 1st. Home Front Day is a professional holiday for all servicemen, as well as civilian personnel of the armed forces related to units and subdivisions of the rear services of the RF Armed Forces.
The Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a very young holiday, it was approved by order of the Minister of Defense of Russia No. 225 dated May 7, 1998. At the same time, the holiday began to be celebrated on August 1 as a memorable day in accordance with the decree of the President of Russia dated May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the RF Armed Forces."
The starting point for organizing the rear of the Russian army is considered the first quarter of the 18th century, when the regular army and navy were organized by Peter I. The creation of a regular army also required the organization of its constant state support from state warehouses. At the same time, orders (Military, Artillery and Provisions) became the central supply bodies. The beginning of the creation of provision bodies in the Russian army is dated February 18 (March 1 according to the new style), 1700, when Peter I, on the basis of a corresponding decree, introduced a new position in the military department - general provisions. On the same day, Peter I formed the "Special Order" (later it will receive the name Military, although it was also called the Commissariat), he was entrusted with supplying troops with equipment, uniforms and salaries, as well as horses and weapons. The artillery order was formed later - in 1701 on the basis of the Pushkar order, which existed in Russia since the 16th century and was in charge of the production, distribution and accounting of artillery and ammunition for it.
In 1711, by decree of Peter I, the supply bodies were included in the active army. And the structure of command and control bodies that took shape at the beginning of the 18th century, as well as the experience of supplying the active army accumulated during the Northern War, were enshrined in the military charter of 1716.
Subsequently, the structure and system of logistic support of the armed forces of our country was continuously improved taking into account the experience of waging various wars. Delivery transport was gaining increasing development and importance, a system of echeloning military stocks was created, and a single quartermaster service was formed. During the First World War, army and front-line supply bases were created, front-line distribution stations began to work, which provided reception of railway transport, which brought up the ammunition, weapons, food and uniforms necessary for the troops from the depths of the country, and corps unloading stations also began to operate.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rear services of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union had: rear units, subdivisions and institutions that were part of military units, formations and formations of all types of the Armed Forces; warehouses and bases with stocks of various materiel; automobile, road, aviation technical, engineering and aerodrome, repair, medical, veterinary and other rear units and subdivisions of central subordination. The leadership of this entire system was carried out through the corresponding main and central directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense. The general management of the Main Quartermaster, Veterinary, Sanitary Directorates and the Department of Material Resources was entrusted to the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Front-line and army rear services were absent, since their maintenance in peacetime was not provided for by the staffing table. Such a structure of logistic support of troops did not meet the requirements of wartime.
In the conditions of the Great Patriotic War that had already begun, on August 1, 1941, Stalin signed an order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR "On the organization of the Main Directorate of Logistics of the Red Army" chief of the rear of the Red Army. At the same time, a new position was introduced - the chief of the rear of the Red Army, in addition to the Main Directorate of the Rear, the Fuel Supply Directorate, the Main Quartermaster Directorate, and the Veterinary and Sanitary Directorate were also subordinate to him. In addition, the positions of chiefs of the rear were introduced in the armies and at the fronts. By May 1942, the posts of chiefs of rear services were already introduced in the corps and divisions of the Red Army. As a result of all the measures taken, in rather difficult wartime conditions, it was possible to quickly create a well-organized and technically equipped rear of the Armed Forces, which coped with the colossal volume of work entrusted to it. As a result, already in the 21st century, it was the date of August 1 that was chosen as a memorable day - the Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Today, the rear of the armed forces is organically integrated into the integrated system of material and technical support of troops (forces), which occupies one of the leading positions in increasing the combat readiness of units, formations and organizations of the Russian Ministry of Defense, in particular, in strengthening the defense capability of the Russian Federation. In many respects, the combat effectiveness of the modern Russian army depends on the effective and well-coordinated work of the Armed Forces logistics system.
There is nothing surprising in this, an army of millions must be supplied every day with everything necessary: feed, shoe, clothe, provide housing services to the barracks and housing stock, refuel all military equipment without exception, store equipment and ammunition, provide veterinary and sanitary, environmental and fire security and many other tasks. At the same time, it is necessary to do all of the above and in conditions of emergency and extreme situations. To cope with such a volume of work, tens of thousands of logistics specialists are working on solving logistics problems around the clock.
Logistics specialists are responsible for organizing the transportation of troops and various materiel, restoration and technical cover of transport communications. They contain bases of aviation and navy, numerous military camps throughout the country, provide them with cold and hot water and electricity. To solve these problems, a system of material and technical support for the RF Armed Forces was created, which is rightly considered an integral part of the country's defense potential, a link between the Russian economy and the army and navy itself.
Today, the management of general types of support is entrusted to the central bodies of military control, including: the Headquarters of the logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, two departments (operational maintenance and provision of communal services to military units and organizations and transport support), three main directorates (missile and artillery, armored vehicles, Chief of the Railway Troops), six departments (food, clothing, rocket fuel and fuel, metrology, monitoring the MTO system and a department for perpetuating the memory of those killed in the defense of the Fatherland).
In the branches and branches of the armed forces, the management of material and technical support is carried out by the deputy commanders (commanders) for logistics through their subordinate command and control bodies, services and departments. In the navy and in the military districts, the management of the general types of material and technical support is carried out by the deputy commanders of the military district (fleet) for logistics through the headquarters and directorates, which have contented functions in relation to all troops (forces), according to their territorial principle. At the military level of the material and technical support system, there is a structure for managing the technical and rear support of military units and formations, which is led by deputy commanders for logistics and weapons.
Best of all, the work of the rear of the RF Armed Forces is expressed through numbers. Every year, the efforts of the rear services ensure the maintenance and proper operation of more than 120 thousand units of armored and rocket-artillery weapons, more than 400 thousand units of automobile and other military equipment. Every year they provide servicemen with food at two dozen food rations. Also, more than 50 million different items of military uniform are in the personal use of Russian military personnel, and about 15 million items of such items are issued every year.
Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov, congratulating the personnel of command and control bodies and logistical support units, noted that today the rear faces very difficult tasks: every day it is necessary to feed about 600 thousand servicemen at 1 food ration rate, annually issue about 50 millions of different items of military uniform; maintain in order 5, 7 thousand military towns throughout the country, including 69, 5 thousand various buildings and structures, more than 5 thousand residential buildings and almost 200 thousand residential premises, as well as more than 7 thousand water supply and sewerage facilities, more than 4 thousand thermal facilities and almost 24 thousand kilometers of various engineering systems and communications. At the same time, logisticians, like other military personnel, have to serve and carry out their activities in all climatic zones of our country.
On August 1, Voennoye Obozreniye congratulates all military personnel, as well as civilian personnel of the armed forces related to units and subunits of the rear of the RF Armed Forces, as well as logistic service veterans, including participants in the Great Patriotic War, on their professional holiday.
