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continuous praise and commendation from Soviet
public leaders and the press. Even more tantalizing
to the average Soviet citizen, for whom foreign
travel is basically impossible, is the opportunity
navy personnel have to see the world.
Enlisted men are either 2-year or 3-year
draftees; the latter term of service is required if
the draftee is assigned sea duty. The Soviet Union
does not draft women for military service. They
are used in clerical and support positions. Soviet
women are not considered to be an integral part
of the armed services as are the service women
of the United States.
Of approximately 443,000 uniformed person-
nel of the Soviet navy, about 169,000 serve afloat
and 70,000 are attached to naval aviation units.
In addition to the 18,000-man naval infantry
force, another 14,000 are assigned to coastal
defense activities. About 46,000 are engaged in
various stages of training, and 126,000 are used
to provide shore support. Additionally, a large
number of civilians, perhaps as many as 30,000,
form the crews of the majority of Soviet naval
auxiliary ships.
Enlisted Personnel
The enlisted man of the Soviet navy is a
draftee with limited training and little career
inclination. Draftees are drawn from all the 16
republics within the USSR. Often those from
Asian republics speak little Russian. Since draftees
are inducted into the services twice a year, this
means that every 6 months about 15 percent
of the naval enlisted strength is replaced by
recruits.
The new inductees undergo a 9-week basic
training program, after which they are either
sent to a specialist school or directly to a
duty assignment. A small number of recruits
that have previously completed a military
specialist preparation course are sent directly
to sea duty from basic training. Those judged
physically or intellectually substandard are
assigned to shore duty (as librarians, clerks,
and so on). Approximately 75 percent of the
personnel entering the navy undergo specialist
training, after which they receive their first ship-
board assignment.
Soviet technical training lasts from 4 to 6
months. Specialists graduate with an apparent
understanding of the theoretical complexities of
their own specialty but with little practical train-
ing. Consequently, enlisted personnel receive the
more significant and practical training after they
arrive on board ship.
Once aboard, these personnel are assigned to
the more senior sailors who, along with the
officers and warrant officers in their department,
train them as replacements. The new specialists
then begin their study for a class specialist rating
of Master 1, 2, or 3. If a sailor passes the Master
3 specialist test, fulfills certain requirements of
the Party Youth Organization (Komsomof), and
has no disciplinary violations, he will be rated
“outstanding” by the ship’s captain. The number
and class of specialists and the number rated
outstanding are used as a measure in evaluating
a ship’s performance. Over 90 percent of all
seamen are rated Master 3 specialists by the end
of their first tour of duty.
The ability of the Soviet specialist is limited
by inadequate school instruction and testing and
the lack of facilities for intensive shipboard on-
the-job training. Because of these shortcomings,
the specialist is only able to perform routine
maintenance and general operation of a limited
range of equipment. The Soviets have alleviated
some of these shortcomings by assembling most
shipboard equipment using standard components
and modules.
Officer Personnel
The Soviet navy faces a chronic shortage
of senior enlisted personnel. The reenlistment
rate averages under 10 percent, in part be-
cause of the national requirement that all
males must serve on active duty in the Soviet
armed forces. In an effort to overcome this
shortage and to upgrade the status of a career
serviceman, the Soviet navy introduced the
rank of warrant officer (michman) in 1971.
At completion of compulsory service, the Soviet
sailor, if considered capable, is offered additional
specialist and military training in a 2-year
warrant officer school. In return he must reenlist
for a 5-year period, which includes the time spent
in schooling.
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