Ensign rank. Ensigns of the Russian Army: in the area of ​​special attention

Most people who are not related to the army have a very vague idea about ensigns, which has developed on the basis of watching television series or once heard anecdotes. For them, an ensign is, at best, an enterprising businessman in uniform who, on occasion, “will not miss his own”, and at worst, a kind of stupid drinker.

But in fact, everything is quite different.

Ensign: the meaning of the word

The history of the word "ensign" goes back to the Church Slavonic language, in which the banner was called the "ensign". Therefore, an ensign is a person carrying a banner. But the word "banner" comes from the lexeme "know". Other words, such as “meaning”, “familiar”, also came from him. Therefore, the banner is an attribute elevated to the level of a symbol, by which the belonging of a military unit, its “face” was determined. Going into battle, the standard-bearer was always ahead of the advancing army, carrying a banner. Moreover, in the event of the loss of the battle banner, the military unit to which it belonged was disbanded with disgrace. Therefore, the most courageous and strong people, both physically and morally, were selected for such an honorable mission.

Ensign as a military rank

The military rank of ensign was first introduced in 1649 by the second of the tsars of the Romanov dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich. Moreover, this title was an award, which had to be earned on the battlefield with one's valor, dedication and courage. But Peter I, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich, who succeeded him on the royal throne, when creating his new regular army, in 1712 transformed the rank of ensign into a military rank. Now the youngest of the officer ranks in the infantry and cavalry has become so called.

In 1884, things changed again. The title of "ensign" ceased to be the first among officers. In the active army, he was replaced by a "second lieutenant" ("cornet" in the cavalry). However, as an officer rank, he was retained for the reserve military and the Caucasian police. Also, the title of "ensign" could be assigned to soldiers who particularly distinguished themselves during the hostilities.

Since 1886, junior military ranks had the opportunity to get the rank of ensign by passing special exams, but after that, already being in the "reserve", they had to pass one and a half months annually.

The next changes with the possibility of obtaining a rank occurred during the reign of Nicholas II. In 1912, the monarch approved a provision that allowed the assignment of the rank of ensign to cadets of military and special schools in the event of their accelerated release (after 8 months of training) in connection with mobilization into the army.

Thus, during the war of 1914-1918, "early" ensigns formed the basis of the command staff, leading small units or machine-gun crews.

55 years without ensigns

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks (1917), the military rank of ensign was abolished, as, indeed, all other military ranks. Interestingly, the first Supreme Commander of the Red Army after the 17th year was N.V. Krylenko, who under Nicholas II was just an ensign.

For 55 years, the Soviet army existed without the institution of ensigns, and only on January 1, 1972, by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense, this title returned to the country. The military department considered that the positions occupied by foremen and junior lieutenants could be occupied by a separate category of military personnel - ensigns (midshipmen in the navy). Thus, it turned out that the ensign is a separate type of military personnel who are neither soldiers nor officers, but at the same time clearly marked the border between them.

Another attempt to get rid of ensigns

In December 2008, Anatoly Serdyukov, who at that time was the Minister of Defense, again decided to liquidate the institution of ensigns, hoping that they could be replaced by contract sergeants with higher education. At the same time, he dismissed from the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces about 140,000 military men with the rank of "ensign". But Sergei Shoigu, who replaced Serdyukov in April 2013, reversed this decision.

However, especially for warrant officers, the staffing table was revised with the special wish of the new MO - "no warehouses and bases."

New staffing for ensigns

Designed specifically for ensigns (midshipmen), the new one included about a hundred positions, all of which were classified as "combat". They are generally divided into two groups:

1. Commander (commanders: platoons, battle groups, combat post, vehicles).
2. Technical (electrician, head of a radio station, head of a repair workshop, head of a technical unit, etc.).

That is, all the posts that Serdyukov decided to make sergeants from December 1, while absolutely not taking into account the fact that they require special secondary vocational education. The Ministry of Defense, under the leadership of Shoigu, corrected this by giving positions for the sergeant staff, which correspond to their prof. training (commander of a squad, combat vehicle, deputy commander of a platoon, etc.).

But even without warehouses still not done. The position of "warehouse manager" for warrant officers still remained, only now it concerned exclusively military warehouses - weapons. As for clothing and food, it was decided to give them to the service of civilian specialists.

How to get the rank of ensign in the army

Currently, there are 13 ensign schools in Russia, where specialists are trained for the armed forces. Therefore, to get the title of "ensign" in the army, you can use the following methods:

• Join the army for military service. There, having shown himself on a good side, apply with a written request to the command of the unit to send ensigns to study at the school. But there is one caveat. As a rule, the command considers the reports of only those military personnel who have already served more than half of the prescribed term.
• If the military service is already behind him, and the reserve soldier has a desire to re-enlist in the army under the contract, then he can immediately declare his desire to enter the ensign school without first being sent to
• After the conclusion of the contract, submit a report on the desire to study at the ensign school directly to the commander of your unit.

Also, at some universities, admission of cadets is allowed, who, even without having completed the conscription service, but at the same time having enrolled and studied at the university under the program of secondary special education, graduate with the rank of ensign. Thus, the Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces trains drivers for mobile missile systems, as it is planned to completely eliminate the use of non-commissioned officers in this position.

Terms of study at the ensign school

The terms of study at the school directly depend on the military specialty that the cadet has chosen. They can be 5-10 months if the cadet has already completed military service and already has a specialized specialty.

In the case of starting training "from scratch" (a cadet enrolled without military service or does not have a specialized military specialty), the period can be up to 2 years and 10 months.

Upon graduation from the school of ensigns, military personnel enter into a contract with the Ministry of Defense for a period of at least 5 years.

Ensign today

In modern realities, the prevailing stereotypes about ensigns as warehouse managers have become irrelevant.

Today, an ensign is a "techie" who is in charge of complex military equipment and communications. He manages the transport carrying the launchers, takes up combat duty together with the officers.

The ensign in the modern Russian army has turned from a supply manager into a real military specialist.

No one doubts that the military reform of the Russian army is vital. But what happened under the former Minister of Defense, some experts compare with a gangster pogrom.

The reformers declared their main goal to bring the military department in line with the needs of civil society. The consequences of their work were felt almost immediately. The connection between the generations of Russian officers was broken. Suvorov, Nakhimov and cadet schools turned into ordinary educational institutions. The cadet schools were officially transferred to local divisions of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, while the Suvorov and Nakhimov schools lost the fundamental elements of the military education of future officers. Without competent patriotic education of the future personnel of the armed forces of Russia, it is impossible to create a combat-ready army. In 2009, due to the personnel confusion created by the reformers, 4,700 graduates of military universities were appointed to the positions of sergeants. That is, the officers were turned into sergeants.

It is necessary to reduce the army, but not by such adventurous methods. The reduction in the size of the Armed Forces must be compensated for by other actions that will not only close the gap that has formed, but also strengthen the personnel of the Russian army.

And a vivid example of the most serious mistake made in the implementation of the military reform is the destruction of the institution of ensigns and midshipmen. This decision caused irreparable harm to the Army and Navy. Serdyukov, without understanding, believed the slander that almost all ensigns are thieves and grabbers sitting in warehouses. In fact, most of them are experienced technicians who cannot be replaced by sergeants, even those who have undergone the necessary training (usually accelerated). And there are scammers and thieves in every area of ​​our lives. And the case of "Oboronservis" confirms this.

What happened after the former head of the Ministry of Defense made such a decision.

Firstly, many midshipmen and warrant officers refused to move to sergeant positions, since this step significantly lowered their social status.

Secondly, the well-prepared mobilization potential of the army was destroyed: after all, ensigns and midshipmen could at any moment be promoted to lieutenant and command platoons. Consequently, having eliminated this military stratum, the Russian army lost the opportunity to replenish officer cadres in the event of an extreme situation.

Thirdly, not a single contract soldier, not a single sergeant, not a single foreman can replace an officer. Ensigns were originally trained as junior officers.

Fourthly, having destroyed the institution of ensigns in 2009, a replacement for this most important position in military personnel policy was not prepared.

Currently, according to experts, the contract service is in a deplorable state. Most contract soldiers are hastily "recruited" conscripts who signed contracts in order to serve the remaining months of service in more acceptable conditions. An absurd situation has arisen when there are two mutually exclusive situations in the army: there is no necessary number of contract soldiers, and there are not enough conscripts to complete full-fledged military units.

A number of experts say that the disappointing results of the military reform have led to a situation threatening Russia's security. There was an unprecedented loss of personnel potential of the fleet and army.

With the arrival of S. Shoigu to the Ministry of Defense, a revision of the military reform began, which was carried out by the former Minister of Defense. The restoration of the education system and an increase in the command of the Air Force, Navy and Ground Forces was followed by a decision to restore the institute of ensigns and midshipmen in the army.

One of the deputies of the State Duma announced this intention to S. K. Shoigu. It is planned that 55,000 ensigns will return to serve in military units. The leadership of the defense department forced the deterioration in the controllability of the troops to this step after the destruction of the institution of ensigns and midshipmen in the Russian army. Before the start of the reform, there were 50,000 midshipmen and 90,000 ensigns in the army, of which about 10,000 were women. In the Navy, midshipmen managed combat posts on nuclear submarines and on ships. As professional technical specialists, ensigns occupied a special place in the Air Force, the Strategic Missile Forces and the Space Forces. Female ensigns served at communication centers: for many of them, this was the only opportunity to find a job.

The liquidation of the ranks of warrant officers and midshipmen began on the orders of the former Minister of Defense in 2009 as part of a general reduction in the armed forces. The reformers believed that the duties of ensigns in the army could be performed by professionally trained contract sergeants. But this idea was not crowned with success: the ensigns were reduced, and the army did not wait for knowledgeable contract specialists. Many warrant officers served for decades in technical and support positions in military units. They have become top notch professionals. As a result of the ongoing reform, most of them went to serve in other power ministries (the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, etc.), some moved to the positions of sergeants, and only 20 thousand warrant officers and midshipmen were appointed to command positions. These actions to optimize management led to insoluble problems in the troops: the professional part of the junior officers in the army was practically destroyed. Experts admitted that the program to create an alternative to ensigns - the institute of sergeants - has completely failed. 80% of contract sergeants refuse to sign contracts for the next term.

Ensigns and warrant officers appeared in the Soviet army in 1972. With the introduction of the rank of ensign, the top military leadership of the USSR planned that it would become a kind of reward for the most deserving re-enlisted.

The training of future warrant officers was carried out in special schools. In these schools, cadets were taught the basics of martial arts, military psychology and pedagogy, and the necessary subjects in military disciplines. After completing the training, all graduates were awarded military ranks. People with higher education could also study in these schools. Ensigns and midshipmen in the army performed maintenance and operation of military equipment and weapons, and also worked in the rear services. Most often, warrant officers were appointed to the positions of junior officers. In 2009, 30 out of 46 ensign schools were disbanded. The training of foremen of companies, technical specialists in the operation of military equipment and weapons, and food service workers was stopped. The remaining schools switched to the training of contract sergeants.

To restore the institute of ensigns and midshipmen, considerable financial resources will be required. The source and the required amount of funds will be determined by the relevant ministries. It is possible that funding will be provided from funds allocated for the sergeant training program.

I must say that the institution of ensigns was destroyed only in the defense department. In the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, warrant officers continue their service. In October 2013 ensign schools will be recruited. Since the ensigns previously withdrawn from the ranks of the Russian army have already found their place in other structures, it is necessary to train new warrant officers and warrant officers for the Russian Armed Forces.

Any reform is not immune from mistakes. It is important to correct them in time. It is possible that the institute of ensigns and midshipmen, restored by the current leadership of the Ministry of Defense, will differ from the previous model. The main thing is that this should serve to strengthen the country's defense capability.

Materials used:

Ensigns in the army are a special category of military personnel. The ensign is not interested in raising his rank, the length of service plays a very small role for him, and besides the title of “senior ensign”, there are simply no promotions for him. The position of warrant officers also rarely changes, but if it does, it does not bring an increase in status: there are no higher positions for warrant officers that they could occupy. Such a position leaves its mark on the personality of the ensign, and it is difficult to say whether the social position affects the character or whether this position is initially occupied by a person with a special temperament. Rather, the second is true, because ensigns become ensigns who have gone on promotion, and any contract soldier always has the choice to go to study as an ensign or an officer. If he does not make any special efforts to go to study as an officer, but simply goes where he was offered - in this case, to ensign - it means that by this very indifference he determines his future position: the position of an ensign. So, his character is quite adequate to the position he occupies. In rare cases, the ensign receives an officer after some time.

The ensign usually holds positions related to the disposal of army property, so he can financially support himself. Unlike an officer, at the same time, he does not have special ambitions, and the ensign is quite satisfied with the piece of bread that he receives thanks to his position. All this forms (or shows) the character traits of the ensign. Considering that the position often forms a character adequate to it, breaks a person, then there is no contradiction between the expressions “forms” and “shows”: even if he was different, he still becomes adequate to the proud title of Ensign.

An ensign in the army is much more humane than an officer, as he lives a civilian life and just goes to work in the unit; only a few ensigns actually serve. In addition, all ensigns are in fact subordinate to either the deputy commander for logistics, or the deputy commander for armaments, or other similar officials who form their teams from ensigns, share stolen goods with them and provide them with protection and patronage. Ensigns are almost removed from the jurisdiction of the main command of the unit, which they, by and large, do not care about - they have their own command.

They also don't care about regular officers. Not everywhere, of course: in some places one has to reckon with the fact that officers occupy a higher social position. But, in any case, they should only show signs of official military respect to officers, and not obey them.

In special forces, an ensign can also act as an instructor in some narrow area of ​​\u200b\u200bmilitary training, such as hand-to-hand combat, scuba diving, etc. etc. But even in this case, the basic properties of the social position and character of the ensign's personality remain valid. Only here such a quality as the ideological fanaticism of the work in the specialty, the training of which he is busy, can still be added to them, which makes the ensign even less susceptible to his social position.

As a result, the ensign feels quite at ease. He is his own leader. I will say more, the ensign is a special psychological and social type of an army man. He is less than other military personnel imbued with the army. For him, the army is attractive because it does not have to work as hard as in civilian life, or the opportunity to do what you love only here. But for the soldiers, the ensign is even more terrible than the officer, since, by and large, he does not care what the officer will say about his actions with the soldier. At the same time, the ensign, of course, is closer to the soldier than the officer - closer after the sergeant, for whom ensigns are generally the most terrible people. Yes, and the way of thinking, and the very intellectual state of the ensign affects: rather primitive personalities usually go to ensigns. Therefore, they turn out to be tougher commanders if they need to perform command functions. Good ensigns are an exception to the rule, which in the army serves more as an element of humor than an objective reality, they are so rare and even impossible in army conditions.

Ensign - from the old word "ensign" - a banner. In Russia, this title appeared under Alexei Mikhailovich, who began to appoint the best fighters as standard bearers, as a reward for bravery. Under Peter I, junior officers of the infantry and cavalry began to be called ensigns. What was the status of an ensign in the Soviet army?

When did the rank of ensign appear?
In 1917, as you know, officer ranks in the Russian army were canceled. Along with other ranks, the rank of ensign was also abolished. Then the officer ranks in the Red Army nevertheless appeared, but the ensign was never returned. The title "ensign" reappeared in the Soviet army in 1972. The Ministry of Defense came to the conclusion that the posts occupied by foremen and junior lieutenants could be occupied by a separate category of military personnel - ensigns (midshipmen in the navy). Thus, it turned out that the ensign in the Soviet army is a separate type of military personnel who are neither soldiers nor officers, but at the same time clearly marked the border between them.

How did they become ensigns
The military rank of ensign was assigned to a person after graduating from special ensign schools. In them, the cadets were taught the basics of martial arts, military psychology and pedagogy, and the necessary subjects in military disciplines. Military rank was awarded only after graduation. People with higher education could study in these schools.

What were the duties of ensigns
The figure of an ensign entered army folklore as an image of a bored and impudent character, located exclusively somewhere in a warehouse and engaged in speculation in army property. Of course, this has happened as well. However, this type has little to do with the vast majority of warrant officers of the Soviet army. Ensigns held many different positions in the army. They really could manage warehouses, but in addition, they could also be clerks at the headquarters, and served in the medical department - paramedics. There were warrant officers and foremen of the company.

The duties of a foreman of a company, as you know, are very diverse. The person holding this position oversees the performance of service by ordinary soldiers and sergeants, controls the order and discipline in the company, is responsible for the safety of property, including the personal belongings of the soldiers, which are stored in the pantry until demobilization, and so on. In the event of an emergency when there is no officer, the foreman must take over his duties. The foreman is responsible to the company commander for order and discipline in the unit. He is the direct organizer of the internal order. The foreman has the right to assign punishment to the soldiers and demand that they be carried out. Thus, the ensign, who is the foreman of the company, is, in fact, the “right hand” of the officer, a person who at any time should be ready to take on commanding functions.

Actually, it was. In terms of their official position, duties and rights, warrant officers occupied a place close to junior officers, they were their closest assistants and bosses for soldiers and sergeants (foremen) of one unit with them. In terms of status, the ensign was during this period higher than the foreman and lower than the junior lieutenant. Since 1981, the higher rank of "senior ensign" was introduced, corresponding to the pre-revolutionary "ensign". In the Navy, the rank of ensign corresponded to the rank of midshipman.

Situation at present
In 2008, the Minister of Defense abolished the title of "ensign". Apparently, the image of a thieving warehouse manager in ensign shoulder straps nevertheless played a role, blocking all the undoubted benefits that sensible ensigns brought to the Armed Forces. However, at present they are going to return this title to the army, excluding, however, the management of warehouses and bases from the staff list.

In the Russian army

In the Russian army, the rank of warrant officer was introduced in the year as the primary chief officer rank for regiments of a foreign system, and then was enshrined in the Charter of the year, the ensign was higher in status than a corporal and lower than a lieutenant (lieutenant). Since the year, by the Decree of Fyodor Alekseevich, it has been extended to all regiments, including the archers (where before that there was no equal title), the status became higher than a lieutenant and lower than a lieutenant. In the year when the Table of Ranks was introduced, Peter I tried to replace the rank ensign the rank of fendrik, but it did not take root, the rank of ensign disappeared only in the artillery and pioneer troops, where the rank of bayonet junker was introduced, which was listed a class higher. The ensigns of all other branches of the military belonged to the XIV class of the Table, the ensigns of the guard - to the XII class, were titled "your honor." Up to a year, the rank of ensign was given by hereditary nobility, then up to a year - only personal, then only hereditary honorary citizenship. In the cavalry, the rank of warrant officer was replaced by the rank of cornet in the year, but reinstated again in the year and finally abolished in the year. In the life campaign that existed in 1741-1762, the ensign belonged to the VI class of the Table, in status he was higher than a sergeant and lower than an adjutant. In other troops, the ensign was higher in status than the sergeant major (sergeant major in the cavalry) and lower than the second lieutenant. In 1765, in the artillery, the bayonet-junkers were re-certified in artillery ensigns, in the year this rank was abolished, in the year the rank of ensign was returned for artillery and pioneer troops, and it was assigned to the XIII class of the Table, since all other chief officer ranks of the special forces were listed one class higher. With the formation of units of the "young guard" in the year, the ensigns in them were assigned to the XIII class of the Table. In the company of palace grenadiers, formed in 1999, warrant officers belonged to the XI class of the Table and were higher in status than sergeant majors and lower than second lieutenants, as in the entire guard. In the army units, from the year on, ensigns were higher in status than ensigns (conductors in artillery) and lower than second lieutenants.

The appearance of the rank of ensign was a direct consequence of the Khrushchev reform of military educational institutions, when secondary military educational institutions (the so-called "bull's eye") that produced lieutenants suddenly turned into "higher" ones. Since the rank of lieutenant after that was assigned only to persons with higher education, a vacuum naturally arose in the rank system - it was absurd to assign specialists with a secondary specialized education (and there were quite a lot of such sergeants in the army) the rank of sergeant-conscripts was absurd, and especially for recruiting people into the army , having primarily the necessary qualifications, but who did not receive higher education, and a separate full-time category of ensigns was created. However, in practice, very soon the requirements for the level of education were "forgotten", and just junior specialists and long-term servicemen began to be appointed to the vacancies of ensigns, then the positions of foremen and platoon commanders of auxiliary units were assigned to ensign positions. One of the side effects of this practice was that the rank of foreman in the army began to be extremely rare - with rare exceptions, conscripts were not awarded it, and the sergeants who remained on extra duty were immediately promoted to warrant officers.

The abolition of the title

“In the army, the institute of ensigns, which amounted to 142 thousand people, was liquidated,” said Army General Nikolai Makarov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Makarov: “We had 142 thousand ensigns. As of December 1, 2009, none remained.” Approximately 20 thousand warrant officers who were in command positions were appointed, the rest were fired or moved to the positions of sergeants.

In the armies of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia

In the army of Czechoslovakia, the rank was introduced in the year, and initially corresponded to the rank of ensign in the Russian imperial army, it was the primary chief officer rank, in status below second lieutenant and above worthy intercessor(zauryad-officer, belt-ensign). Between them there was an intermediate status cadet-graduate student, assigned only to students of military educational institutions. In the same year, the rank of ensign was transferred to the category of non-commissioned officers while maintaining the same status, becoming the highest rank for this category (at the same time, an exotic rank of Czech appeared between him and the chief officers. gážista mimo hodnostní tridu- "an officer not entitled to a rank"), and was eliminated in the year. It was introduced again in the year and became the highest for the new full-time category of captains, approximately corresponding to warrant officers, the ensign was higher in status