Translated material
Military games
DOSAAF's successor will again train conscripts for the army
Since 2008, the army has moved to a one-year conscript service period . Now, within 12 months , a soldier must be prepared for service - given him a military profession, which is often difficult, and so that he also has time to serve. This is difficult, if not impossible, to do. After all, during the same year of service the army must also give the soldier a civilian profession akin to the military. And therefore, the leadership of the Russian armed forces, without writing off their own training units, turned their attention towards the half-forgotten Russian defense sports and technical organization - ROSTO, the former DOSAAF (Voluntary Assistance to the Army, Air Force and Navy). It was also called the reserve army.Back in the 80s of the last century, the defense society was a very powerful organization. DOSAAF trained about a quarter of a million specialists per year for the armed forces and the national economy, studying in 120 specialties. DOSAAF had 40 aviation centers at its disposal, 20 of them with jet (!) aircraft. 150 light-engine aviation clubs trained glider pilots and parachutists. 55% of the country's driving force were graduates of DOSAAF driving schools. In addition, there was a wide network of radio engineering schools and radio clubs where radio electronics specialists were trained. DOSAAF fully supported itself and even transferred more than 100 million Soviet rubles to the state annually.
And all this almost went to waste during perestroika. However, the leadership of ROSTO turned around and, in difficult years, focused on paid training in especially in-demand specialties. At the airfields, certified small aviation pilots from among wealthy people were raised. Things especially went well with the onset of the boom in motorists - many then needed a license to drive a car, and ROSTO provided such an opportunity.
Today, the Russian Defense Sports and Technical Organization consists of 1,119 sports and sports-technical clubs, 233 children's and youth sports-technical schools, in which 24 aviation, technical and military-applied sports are cultivated, and 417 different courses. The organization consists of 3 million members, united in 22,190 primary organizations, 32 thousand full-time employees, of which 235 are officers seconded from the Ministry of Defense. Every year ROSTO trains more than 35 thousand category athletes. Over the past five years, ROSTO athletes have won 2,565 medals of various denominations only at World and European Championships and Cups.
The new chairman of the central council of ROSTO, a former political worker, Major General Yuri Kamyshanov, appointed in December last year, already in January 2008 took the initiative for a comprehensive modernization of the defense organization. A concept for the modernization of ROSTO for 2008-2013 has emerged. In particular, it is planned to significantly increase the number of young people of pre-conscription age who (under an agreement with the law enforcement agencies) will be trained for military service. Last year, ROSTO trained more than 64 thousand people for military service, and this year it is planned to increase 94 thousand.
On the basis of ROSTO, it is planned to form a network social movement “DOSAAF-Defense”, which will defend the rights of conscripts, conscripts and contract soldiers. This movement is going to deal with the prevention of hazing in the army, establish a single toll-free helpline, create public reception rooms for conscripts and their parents in the regions, organize direct public contacts with the military department, and send ROSTO members to specific military units, as the Cossacks are doing now. And the slogan has already been invented: “Go serve - DOSAAF-Defense is behind you.”
On the basis of ROSTO schools, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, Centers will be created for the study of the school subject Life Safety - Fundamentals of Life Safety. Other intentions include reviving the Zarnitsa game and launching a program to work with troubled teenagers. ROSTO-DOSAAF is going to work with all “patriotic youth organizations.” Some of these organizations were named in the address of the leadership of ROSTO and honored people of this organization to presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev: “Young Guard”, “Ours”, “Young Russia”.
By the end of February, the so-called “Letter to a Young Compatriot” will be distributed throughout the country. This is a propaganda document aimed at increasing the number of ROSTO members primarily at the expense of “socially maladapted teenagers.” The document begins with the words: “Ask not what the country has done for you. Ask what you have done for the country.” Or this attempt to promote military service among young people: “Vladimir Putin says: “Russia needs a strong army.” To make it clearer, Russia needs you. You personally, do you understand? More from the letter: “A strong generation cannot consist only of security guards, traders and managers.” It can be considered that not only DOSAAF is being revived, but also its special type of propaganda.
The number of people annually mastering mass professions in the ROSTO-DOSAAF system is planned to be doubled - from the current 600 thousand people to 1.2 million, and the number of professions themselves - from 119 to 150. In this case, perhaps from an unusual function - to give soldiers working professions - the Ministry of Defense will be spared. Moreover, ROSTO is going to create a single center for the employment of young specialists and the development of youth small businesses. ROSTO is even ready to become a “trade union of working youth.” However, the mentioned figures, ROSTO management admits, can be achieved no earlier than in five to eight years.
The number of people involved in technical and military-applied sports, according to the bold plans of the new leadership of ROSTO, will increase from 1.5 to 3-4 million people, and aviation sports - four times. I can’t help but remember the old slogan: “Komsomolets - on a plane!” And the total number of members of the organization is planned to increase from 3 to 5-6 million people. All-Russian military applied games are planned for 2009. Perhaps their scale will be wider - in the CIS format. The management of the sports and technical organization will seek the right to host the 2011 World Air Games for the first time in Russia. The launch of a new special program will allow people with disabilities to engage in military-applied and technical sports.
It is impossible not to say about less pleasant things. In order to implement the grandiose plans that we mentioned above, ROSTO needs to pay off debts on tax and other payments and reduce the burden of land tax. Partly due to the revived DOSAAF lottery, famous in the USSR. But the main calculation is on the state. ROSTO remembers the words of President Putin that during the transition to a one-year service, DOSAAF cannot do without a successor.