Voluntary military education

Each citizen may prepare himself or herself to serving in the military as a volunteer. There are many different options for this, and all a future conscript needs to do is choose the method which appeals to him.

One of the ways to receive voluntary military education is to attend specialized military sports activities offered by nongovernmental associations, educational institutions, sports clubs and athletics classes. If you receive the first sports category or a rank in any applied military sport, you will have the right of privileged enrollment at military colleges and the right to choose the branch or service of the Armed Forces if subject to conscription.

This, however, is not the only way to prepare to military service. If you want to enjoy certain induction privileges, you may also receive training in additional educational programs designed for military education of underage citizens. Such educational programs are offered by Suvorov military schools, Nakhimov military schools, military music schools and military bands. Even if you choose not to attend a military educational institution, you can take military education classes at military education office of the university you intend to go to. Military education classes are also available to reserve officers at military training departments of universities. You can take such classes provided you are a student of the university, physically fit for military service, have the required professional and psychological characteristics, were picked in the competitive selection and made a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

One of the major helpmates to future servicemen in preparing to military service is the Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Air Force and Navy of the Russian Federation (DOSAAF) – a national nongovernmental association for assistance to the army, air force and navy and a popular defense and patriotic organization whose mission is to promote a stronger national defense system.

There is a wide range of educational institutions within the Russian Defense Sports and Techniques Organization (ROSTO) that is part of DOSAAF, including driving schools, navigation schools, joint technical and radio engineering schools, as well as sports training centers, air sports clubs, etc. If you want to do voluntary military training, there are multiple defense community organizations for the Armed Forces and other national security agencies that offer special training in 41 military occupational specialties.

This type of military education falls under the Federal Law On Military Duty and Military Service and has been part of the State defense order since the year 2000. Organizations dealing in voluntary military education have trained more than 1.3 mln specialists for the Russian Armed Forces and other agencies over the past 10 years.

Another mission of ROSTO is public defense education and military-patriotic activities. DOSAAF ROSTO’s training and sports organizations include over a thousand children and youth clubs, such as Young Seaman, Young Driver, Young Paratrooper, Young Pilot and many others, as well as search squads and groups and military-patriotic associations and organizations.