26/02/20 history Why did the Soviet Union eliminated the battalion
the First construction battalions appeared in the USSR in 1942. The main objective of these military forces at that time was the restoration of infrastructure, which was destroyed by German conquerors. The soldiers called them for short “the construction battalion”. In the 70-ies, the term went out of use. In 1980 the number of members of WZO (military-building group) exceeds 300 thousand people, which is much more than Marines, soldiers of the airborne forces and border guards at the time.
Why “conscripts” have not sought to get into the “Seabees”
Soldiers of the WZO spent significantly more time performing construction work, therefore, had only a formal relationship to military service. In forming units were selected youths of different nationalities, often come from disadvantaged or poor families, and teenagers who had problems with the law. The young men did not feel much desire to get into society, which consisted of foreigners and those with criminal records. Therefore, the “working battalions” were “leaders” in the number of cases of desertion.
Needless to Soviet society perceived these troops are ambiguous due to the above reasons. About a battalion was composed of many jokes, so to serve in the armed forces was considered undignified. Often soldiers were sent on a dangerous spot, even in the absence of military action: for elimination of consequences of catastrophes of different nature. In particular, some of the formation of VSO and was sent to Chernobyl immediately after the explosion of the power plant.
the dismantling of the construction battalions
In 1990, the total number of soldiers serving in the military construction units in the USSR armed forces and other ministries and agencies amounted to more than 330 thousand people. This was stated by the Chief military Prosecutor Katusev A. F. the members of the FAC of the USSR in June of the same year. Commonstvennosti spoke against the existence of this kind of troops, so the current at the time Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had to issue a decree about the beginning of the elimination of the GUS.
According to this decree, a call to service in the military-construction units and units during the civil ministries and departments was discontinued in the autumn of 1991. The released soldiers were sent to the staffing of the VSO under the Ministry of defense of the state. For some time this process was frozen, but in 1993 a law was passed requiring the continuation of the disbandment of troops. At the beginning of 2000-ies was reduced by over 450 thousand people serving in the military construction battalions, brigades and divisions. All lightweight parts were transferred to the military construction directorates of the Ministry of defense of the Russian Federation and military construction regiments in the composition of Rosspetsstroy.
the Abolition of “construction battalion” at the Ministry of defence
According to the decree, published in 2005, was started the process of elimination of GUS under the Ministry of defence and also some authorities of the Spetsstroy of Russia. In 2006, the current Minister Sergei Ivanov said that by the end of the year all construction troops with the APU of the Russian Federation will cease to exist. Tasks that were previously done by employees of these units, were now assigned to contracted construction company which began to operate the Ministry of defense.
According to Ivanov, housing for the military needs to build non-military organizations and civilian firms with the state share. This will allow the government to exercise control over the construction. Otherwise there will be formed an army of angry servicemen who are deprived of a roof over your head. In fact, the process of liquidation was delayed until the end of 2007, and was finally completed in 2009.
the New military-construction and the formation of
In 2016, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree under which independent activities of Spetsstroy of Russia should be terminated until 2017. All the GUS that were part of the disbanded organizations were transferred in according to thones. According to a subsequent presidential decree of 28 March 2017, for military service were called additionally, approximately 17 thousand people, which corresponds to the number of employees that were part of the liquidated Spetsstroy. Some military analysts have expressed their opinion about the revival of “construction battalion” in the armed forces.
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