Every year in Russia on August 1, the Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is celebrated. This holiday was approved by the order of the Minister of Defense of Russia No. 225 dated May 7, 1998. This memorable date is directly related to all servicemen and civilian personnel of units and subdivisions of the rear of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Not so long ago, the rear troops celebrated their 300th anniversary. The year 1700 was taken as the starting point for the history of the rear of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This year, on February 18, the Russian Emperor Peter I signed a decree "On the management of all grain reserves of military men to Okolnich Yazykov, with his name to this part as General-Proviant." At the same time, the first independent supply agency was established in our country, which was called the Provision Order. This supply body was in charge of the supply of bread, grain fodder and cereals for the army. He carried out centralized food support for the troops, which, as you know, is currently one of the types of material support for units and subdivisions of the Russian army.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rear services of the Armed Forces of the USSR included: logistical units, units and institutions that were part of military units, formations and associations of all types of armed forces, warehouses and bases with stocks of various material values, automobile, railway, repair, aviation - technical, engineering and aerodrome, medical, veterinary and other rear units and subdivisions of central subordination. They were supervised in a special respect by the respective main and central directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense. At the same time, the structure of the rear that existed at that time did not meet the requirements of the outbreak of the war. The army and front-line rear were practically absent, since their maintenance in peacetime was not provided for by the states.
To remedy the situation, on August 1, 1941, a decision was made, which actually served for the self-determination of the rear of the armed forces - the rear was defined as an independent type or branch of the armed forces. On this day, 1941, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief JV Stalin signed the order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 0257 "On the organization of the Main Directorate of the Rear Services of the Red Army …" … In addition, a new position was introduced - the chief of the rear of the Red Army, to which, in addition to the Main Directorate of the Rear of the Red Army, "in all respects" were also subordinated to the Fuel Supply Directorate, the Main Quartermaster Directorate, the Veterinary and Sanitary Directorates. The consolidation of the entire set of medical, supply and transport structures under one principle made it possible to establish a very complex process of logistic support of the army in the field. In addition, the fronts and armies created their own rear services directorates.
And by May 1942, the positions of chiefs of rear services in corps and divisions were introduced in the army. As a result of all the measures taken, it was possible to build a well-organized and technically equipped rear of the Armed Forces, which successfully coped with a huge volume of various tasks of providing rear services to the active army in a very difficult war time for the whole country. In the post-war years, as the country was rebuilt and its economic potential grew, changes in the technical equipment and organizational structure of the Armed Forces, and the development of military science, there was a continuous process of improving the rear services.
At present, more than 100 thousand tons of various ammunition is spent every year on the military training of the army alone, and at least 700 thousand tons of various types of food are distributed for the nutrition of personnel. Rear service officers are responsible for all this. Very often they get up before everyone else, while the retreat can sound for them only when the whole part has long been asleep.
It is very difficult for the rear to introduce such a concept as a daily routine. This is because people need to be fed, shod, provided with hot and cold water, warmth around the clock. If one could compare the Russian army with a large family, then the rear service in it is a caring mother, whose work is not so noticeable from the outside, however, for all military people, the rear service very often turns out to be the first person both in barracks and in field exercises.
These troops are very fond of saying: there is no victory without the rear. Any soldier, whether he is an infantryman, sailor, missileman or pilot, will be ready to subscribe to these words. Much depends on the quality work of the logistical support units in the army; one might say that this is the foundation of any modern army. For example, in 2015 alone, logistics units laid more than 400 kilometers of pipelines to provide Crimea with fresh water. Also, the logisticians successfully coped with the task of ensuring the revival of Russian military units and airfields on the islands of the Arctic Ocean, successfully delivering thousands of tons of various cargoes there.
This year, on the Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, competitions of the International Competition "Field Kitchen" will take place. Within the framework of these competitions, military chefs will compete among themselves and in the accuracy of shooting from firearms. General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov, who holds the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, told reporters about this. According to Dmitry Bulgakov, military chefs representing Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia and Israel will identify the most accurate shooter in their ranks. They will compete in shooting from AK-74 assault rifles.
“During the first stage of the competition, military cooks will need to hit targets with a Kalashnikov assault rifle from a distance of 100 meters. All participants of the stage will shoot 6 rounds from a prone position - three sighting rounds and three test rounds,”the Deputy Defense Minister of the country noted. Army General Bulgakov recalled that in 2016, junior sergeant of the People's Liberation Army of China Gan Guijin was recognized as the most accurate chef of the International Army Games, who managed to knock out 30 out of 30 possible points from his standard weapon, which is similar in all its characteristics to the Russian AK- 74. At the same time, according to the deputy head of the Russian military department, the active phase of the "Field Kitchen" competition will begin only on August 3 - on that day, military chefs will begin to prepare dishes according to an arbitrary recipe.
On this festive day, August 1, the staff of Voennoye Obozreniye congratulates all active and former military personnel of the home front, as well as civilian personnel and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, who by their labor in difficult conditions forged a common Victory, on their professional holiday. At present, the rear of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation still remains a reliable material main, without which it is impossible to imagine a combat-ready army and navy.
