Continuous military education – Newspaper Kommersant No. 244 (7445) dated 12/30/2022

From September 1, 2023, a module on the basics of military training may appear in Russian universities: the Ministry of Education and Science sent out the corresponding program to educational institutions, several universities confirmed to Kommersant. Students must learn how to disassemble and assemble AK-74 and RPK-74 assault rifles and machine guns, a Makarov pistol, and also be trained for the combat use of hand grenades. In addition, students will be taught to evaluate “international military-political and domestic events and facts from the position of a patriot of their Fatherland.”

The Ministry of Education and Science sent the program of the Basics of Military Training module to universities “for inclusion in educational programs of bachelor’s and specialist’s degrees, as well as additional professional programs.” The course was developed jointly with the Ministry of Defense. “In modern conditions, the preparation of citizens of the Russian Federation for military service is a priority direction of state policy,” the statement says. cover letter.— The most important issues of education at all levels are the upbringing of love for the Motherland, a sense of patriotism, and readiness to defend the Fatherland.”

The main goal of the course for students is to gain knowledge and skills in order to be ready to perform “military duty and duty to protect their homeland in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.”

As part of this training, students will study the main provisions of the general military regulations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, get acquainted with the organization and methods of conducting modern combined arms combat, as well as the tasks and organizational structure of combined arms units. They will listen to lectures on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, on preventive measures in conditions of infection, as well as on methods of providing first aid for injuries, injuries and orienteering without a map. Teachers with military experience will tell students about the design of small arms, ammunition and hand grenades. Students will learn how to disassemble and assemble AK-74 and RPK-74 assault rifles and machine guns, a Makarov pistol, and will also be trained for the combat use of hand grenades.

As part of the “military-political training” section, lecturers will share “new trends and features of the development of modern international relations”, talk about “the place and role of Russia in a multipolar world”, as well as about “the main directions of socio-economic, political and military-technical development “.

Thus, students will master the ability to evaluate “international military-political and domestic events and facts from the position of a patriot of their Fatherland.”

Officials, in turn, expect that students will develop such a “high sense of patriotism” that young people will “consider the defense of the Motherland their duty and duty.”

The authors of the document specify that in order to achieve the goals set, an appropriate material and technical base is needed: a parade ground equipped in accordance with the requirements of general military regulations; classrooms for studying the statutes of the RF Armed Forces, fire training from small arms, medical training and radiation, chemical and biological protection. Universities should also have a field training base with facilities that “ensure the practice of using military fortifications, as well as mine-explosive engineering obstacles.”

To master the basics of military training, follows from the document, students are allocated 108 hours (of which 72 are classroom hours).

These are 36 pairs: either two per week – for a semester; or one per week – then the course will stretch for a year. Progress control involves oral and written checks. Intermediate certification within the framework of the module is carried out in the form of a test with an assessment “orally with the development of practical tasks”.

Kommersant on Monday turned to the Ministry of Education and Science with a request to confirm authorship and comment on the document. The department did not confirm or deny its authenticity until Thursday. However, earlier, when it became known that the basics of military training would become the subject of study in universities, the ministry shared some details with Kommersant. “Universities independently develop educational programs, form a curriculum and distribute disciplines among courses,” they said. including for inclusion in the military training programs of military training centers. It can also be taught as part of the discipline “Life Safety”. The department added that the target audience is not limited by gender: “At the same time, universities have the right to independently determine the components, taking into account the individual capabilities of students, including women.”

The module is recommended for inclusion in educational programs from September 1, 2023.

“Kommersant” managed to get confirmation that the program of the “Fundamentals of Military Training” module has already entered universities, from representatives of MISiS, MPEI, MEPhI and MIPT.

The NRU MPEI considers the introduction of the module “a logical and consistent step in terms of organizing military training on the basis of higher educational institutions.”

“The module will in no way affect the change in our training system, since even now our military training center meets all the standards of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the training of regular officers and sergeants,” Kommersant was told at the university. However, the interlocutor of “Kommersant” in another educational institution indicates that not all universities have a parade ground, a shooting range and other necessary equipment, he is perplexed how the program will be implemented.

Boris Ilyukhin, director of the Research Center for Educational Assessment and Quality Management Systems FIRO RANEPA, recalls that at one time they reduced the term of conscription to a year and the NVP course in schools: “Now all this is being restored with rather gentle steps.”

The program of the university course, we note, is almost identical to the one that should be studied in schools. The life safety course includes a separate module with elements of basic military training. Recently, the Ministry of Education has developed federal basic general education programs, which described the content of the module in more detail. Thus, high school students will be taught military salute, actions in combined arms combat, “engineering equipment for a soldier’s position” (preparation of a single trench and shelters for military equipment), as well as first aid. The program also includes an introduction to the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the design and operation of the F-1 and RGD-5 hand grenades. The Ministry of Education stated that the NVP module can still be additionally taught as part of extracurricular activities.

Anna Vasilyeva