Less than a month ago, speaking at the Russia Calling! Investment forum President of the country Vladimir Putin made a statement on the future structure of the Russian armed forces. According to the president, the number of contract servicemen already exceeds the number of conscripts. The further statement of the President caused a wide public response. Here is the same saying:
We must bear in mind that we are gradually moving away from conscription service altogether.
It was the phrase "we are leaving altogether" that led to the emergence of questions, the main one of which was the question: Is our country really going to switch completely to a professional army - an army in which conscription is not carried out?
Public opinion, as usual, was divided. Some took the statement with a fair amount of positive, presenting the thesis that the modern army is not at all what it was for several decades more that the army is commonly understood. The main arguments here are as follows: only people who perceive service not so much as a constitutional obligation, but as everyday work with the improvement of skills and abilities, can really make a contribution to the all-Russian security system.
Others (and among them is the author of this material, your humble servant) do not believe that the final and, as they say, irrevocable departure from conscription service will play an unequivocally positive role. And the point here is not at all about traditions, which in any business can undergo certain changes. It is a matter of understanding the fact of which country we are all heirs.
You can say as much as you like that only a professional army is capable of responding to all modern challenges in terms of encroachments on the security of the Russian Federation, but in reality it is more complacency. Perhaps a fully contract army is exceptionally well suited to states where, in order to get from one side to the other, you can take a scooter and stretch for an hour or two on a perfectly flat asphalt road. Perhaps a completely professional army is suitable for countries where the main danger to the population is ripe coconuts falling from the heights of palm trees. Our situation (and historically), how to put it mildly, is somewhat different. Perfectly flat paved roads can end up completely unexpectedly, with palm trees on the lion's share of the country's territory in general "not everything is in order", but there are a lot of "friends" and other "well-wishers".
There are so many of these "well-wishers" that they already declare in plain text: "We expect only one thing from Russia - when it collapses." This is followed by a set of idiomatic expressions, for what reason integral Russia, you see, is simply obliged to cease to exist.
Someone will say, but where are these "partners" wishlist and the perniciousness of a complete withdrawal from the conscription system? The connection is actually direct. If a citizen of the country initially perceives the defense of the Motherland in military terms not at all as his duty, but solely as an opportunity to earn money, then this will involuntarily act even on a subconscious level - "all the ultimate responsibility is on the employer, and the employer can be changed."And here you can be at least three times a patriot - the financial issue in any case will make certain adjustments.
This is not at all a stone in the garden of those who today have chosen military service under contract. Honor and praise. This is to the question of the internal perception of conscription and service on the basis of contractual obligations. And there is a difference in perceptions, any person who is familiar with the question, as they say, firsthand, can confirm.
Another question is that the content of an exclusively "conscript" army today is a dubious pleasure. Young people want to serve (and this is, in principle, a normal desire) less, and during this "less time" the mastery of modern military equipment is simply too tough for the average modern conscript. It is certainly possible to learn in 12 months. And in less time they studied and study. But it becomes impermissible for the state to "lose" a person who has filled his hand (and his head) in the operation of technology and is sent "for demobilization."
And so why reinvent the wheel when, in fact, a solution has been found. This is a mixed call / contact system. After all, the country's Armed Forces need not only military aces, but also those who, in every sense of the word, bring cartridges.
On comparisons with other large armies of the world, dozens of materials were published on "VO", including analytics, and therefore the conclusion is short: the army of a modern country in the world is precisely the golden mean between the conscription and contract system of personnel formation. Hopefully, Russia too will not pursue unjustified experiments.
And now, in fact, about why this material comes out today. And today in our country is the Day of the conscript. While there are still conscripts … And there is a day … And this is the day on which the young generation, the generation of future defenders of the Fatherland, talks about what is the profession of defending the Motherland.
It is gratifying that every year more and more military units open their doors to schoolchildren and students, giving them the opportunity to see with their own eyes the life of modern military personnel and to form an opinion about the Armed Forces of the country, glorious for its remarkable victories. You need to see how the eyes of boys change, who for the first time in their lives get the opportunity to touch a real military weapon, sit at the controls of a military aircraft, and find themselves in the compartment of an operating ship.
This means that no one, thank God, has canceled the concept of "military-patriotic education", and that thanks to these seemingly simple social events, a young man in his life can really have a real goal - to serve the Motherland. Otherwise, we ourselves often scold modern youth, declaring that they only have smartphones and humor below the belt on their minds. In fact, young people - as always - addicted. But what will she get carried away with in the end - this is the main task of the representatives of the middle and older generations - that is, you and me. And the management, I think, also understands this very well.
