Organization of educational work in the Navy: problems and solutions.

A sharp increase in the intensity of sea and ocean voyages and the intensive combat training schedule of the units and ships of the Navy result in greater physical and mental stress in the work of all categories of personnel and make it necessary for naval educational agencies at every level to intensity and, in some cases, to revise the style of educational work and the points of application of efforts.

In this connection, a system for controlling educational work and moral and psychological support for combat and day-to-day activities of naval forces (troops) is being developed in the Navy. In the first place, it includes a study and analysis of the actual state of affairs on site. With this aim in view, officers of the Navy's Directorate for Educational Work (Educational Directorate) in all the fleets conducted a year-long study of the state of educational work in a total of more than 250 ship-based and shore-based units. Having summed up the results of that analysis, the Directorate made a personal assessment of the activities of commanding officers of educational agencies, developed and circulated to the fleets appropriate organizational-methods instructions and methods materials, generalized advanced experience, held instructional-methods classes for educational officers, and organized on-site work to provide assistance in moral and psychological support for the performance of training and combat missions.

In the course of operational training activities, the Educational Directorate managed to set up posts and centers for controlling moral and psychological support in all the fleets and flotillas and to arrange practical approval of the documents for organizing moral and psychological support.

Thus, during command post exercises in the Pacific Fleet with the participation of Federal organs of power, other services of the Armed Forces and other "power agencies," experience was gained in organizing moral and psychological support under a declared state of emergency in a particular region of the country, and legal issues relating to the participation of naval forces in special operations, notably against irregular formations, were worked out in detail. Practical recommendations based on generalized experience in the form of a methods survey were circulated to all the fleets, which subsequently made it possible to organize more effective moral and psychological support in the course of routine operational training activities.

Last year the Educational Directorate managed to revive the earlier developed system for organizing and providing moral and psychological support for the preparation and performance of combat service missions. Over 5,000 navy men and civilian naval specialists successfully performed their ocean combat service missions. Educational agencies at every level ensured the mobilization of personnel for the performance of missions of national importance and were able to maintain the morale of ship's companies during the entire period of long sea voyages and to arrange effective moral and psychological support at the time of performance of assigned missions.

One of the main lines of the Educational Directorate's work is information support for the day-to-day and combat activities of naval forces. Special attention here is devoted to the organization of social science studies (SSS) and provision of information to personnel as the main forms of education. The educational directorates of the Navy and of the fleets and the departments for educational work of formations have developed and have steadily expanded a data bank of teaching-methods materials for social science studies and efficient provision of information to ship's companies and shore-based units. Active use is being made of an information system known as the "All-Russian Technical Information Channel--Voennyi Vestnik," which is regarded by commanders and educational officers as the most efficient, universal and multifunctional information source and a powerful instrument of information and psychological support for servicemen during the performance of routine, combat training and combat missions. Information-methods collections and bulletins containing recommendations on various ways of making an information and education impact on servicemen are published as regular supplements to Navy newspapers. Organization of information support for ships during long sea voyages has been formulated as one of the priority tasks. The experience gained by educational officers of the Black Sea Fleet in organizing SSS and using new information technologies during combat service in the ocean zone is a great help in the practical activities of naval propagandists.

The results of concluding sessions in the SSS system show that students master the curriculum with sufficient success. There is much greater interest among all categories of personnel in the history of Russia, its Armed Forces and its Navy. One must admit, however, that not all officers in charge treat the matter of organizing SSS and provision of information to personnel with a sense of responsibility. The weakest link here is participation by the command staff of units and formations in conducting classes and exercising control over the educational process in the "ship (unit)--subunit (department, group)" echelon. In order to fill in the vacuum in informal interaction with subordinate personnel, use is made of single information days and legal knowledge days with the active participation of naval command staff, representatives of local administrations, military justice officers, etc. One should note that problems raised by servicemen whose solution requires the involvement of commanding officers or higher military command and control agencies are recorded by educational agencies at every level in the course of single information days and legal knowledge days. Arrangements have been made to bring these problems to the notice of officers responsible for their solution, with due control over the timely adoption of the necessary measures.

In a dialog with their superiors, servicemen of various categories, members of their families and civilian personnel express their real attitude to events in the country and abroad, propose concrete measures that would help to maintain naval organizational structures and enhance their combat readiness, urge the need to pay constant attention to their legal and social protection, and raise problems connected with military service and with social conditions. A prompt response to the demands expressed during single information and legal knowledge days makes it possible to reduce the number of direct appeals to the higher authorities and has a positive effect on public opinion in military and work collectives, on the public mood. The practice of single information and legal knowledge days shows the need to continue improving these major forms of information and education work.

An analysis of the social situation in the areas of deployment of naval forces suggests the conclusion that it is governable but unstable. Military command and control agencies, especially educational structures, are able to neutralize the impact of factors that have a negative effect on social aspects. On some points, however, the state of affairs in this area remains problematic. First of all, this concerns the question of providing servicemen with housing. The Navy's list of servicemen and ex-servicemen without a home of their own includes about 19,000 people. The worst situation in this respect is in St. Petersburg, in the Moscow zone and in the Black Sea Fleet.

There has been a mixed response among personnel to the new system of money allowances, which entered into force on 1 July, 2002, and to the abolition of a number of benefits earlier provided by Federal legislation. The expected real improvement in the wellbeing of the Navy's regular service personnel and their families has not materialized. One of the main reasons for the difficulties in recruiting personnel for contract service is also of a financial nature. Obviously, the money allowance level for petty officers and sailors falls far short of the level of physical and mental stress of duty on board. The absence of competition for such posts results in a state of affairs where many of those seeking to conclude a contract do not meet the standards of a military professional of the 21st century either in terms of moral and professional qualities or in terms of educational level.

Admittedly, work in maintaining law and order and strengthening military discipline requires strenuous effort on the part of educational agencies. An absolute majority of the crews of surface ships and submarines and shore-based naval units perform their assigned missions without any accidents, crimes or loss of life. At the same time, it has so far proved to be impossible to achieve a radical turn for the better in the Navy. The activities of naval educational agencies have been insufficiently effective. They have been unable to achieve fully balanced and efficient operation of all the components of educational work in strengthening law and order and military discipline or to resolve all the problems in eradicating breaches of regulations (hazing) in relations between servicemen in military collectives.

The most characteristic causes of low efficiency in preventing crime and accidents in the Navy remain as follows: deficiencies in analytical, administrative and organizational-methods activities of commanders, staffs and educational agencies; lack of personal responsibility of command staff for the state of affairs in subordinate military collectives; isolation of a part of the officer corps (especially in the "group-division-department" echelon) from the daily problems of conscripted sailors and petty officers, commanders' ignorance of the true state of affairs in subordinate subunits; low standards of command and control and serious shortcomings in organizing routine activities aimed at ensuring safe conditions of military service. In naval units and on board the ships there is no effective system for training and educating servicemen. The legal training of junior command personnel is at a low level.

The Educational Directorate tries to analyze the existing shortcomings and mistakes and to respond to them without delay. For example, an analysis of the unsatisfactory situation with regard to the state of law and order and military discipline in the Northern Fleet showed that the main reason was the style of activity of command staff in the "division-brigade-ship" echelon and their insufficient methods training. The Educational Directorate applied to the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy with an initiative to hold a visiting session of the Navy's Military Council in the town of Severomorsk with the following agenda: "On Measures to Strengthen Military Discipline, Ensure Law and Order, Maintain Morale Among All Categories of Servicemen, and Reduce Social Tensions in Military Collectives." The Military Council heard reports by commanding officers of units and formations lagging in terms of military discipline and made a personal assessment of their activities. Timely measures made it possible to stabilize the situation as regards law and order and military discipline in the fleet.

It is well known that a disease is easier to prevent than to treat. In this context, it is particularly important to study sociopsychological processes in naval collectives and to elaborate measures in order to relieve mental stress among navy men. In accordance with working plans and with requests submitted by commanding officers of ships, units and formations of the Navy, sociopsychological surveys are conducted on a regular basis in order to assess the moral and psychological state of personnel. Their generalized results are put before the high command of the Navy and fleet commanders. A set of measures is being implemented to reduce tensions in relations between servicemen.

In view of the stably low sociopsychological characteristics of personnel replacements arriving for service in the Navy, naval psychologists carry out the following set of measures in order to ensure their successful assimilation: psychological examination of draftees, their clearance for service involving the use of arms; introduction of a flexible system of professional psychological selection for service in all units and formations (primarily for permanent readiness units and for subunits service in which is connected with moral and psychological problems); psychological and pedagogical training of command staff; teaching of officers how to identify mentally unstable servicemen and how to work with them; sociopsychological support for the performance of garrison and guard service, combat service and combat duty on board the ships and in the units; and practical training of psychologists in mastering modern psychocorrection and conditioning techniques.

Today the Navy has 67 psychological assistance and rehabilitation centers and posts at the "fleet-formation" level. In the past six months alone, over 1,000 contract servicemen and about 5,000 conscripts applied to naval psychologists and to psychological assistance and rehabilitation centers. At present, over 8,000 servicemen are monitored by naval psychologists. Joint work with the medical service in operational data collection and provision of medical and psychological assistance has proved to be successful. The Navy's psychological service is in contact with Russia's leading psychological centers and has been using the experience of modern schools in providing emergency psychological assistance. Only in the past two years over 70 psychologists and specialists of psychological assistance and rehabilitation centers and posts in all the fleets have received training in this area.

Cultural and recreational work aimed at meeting the cultural needs of servicemen and members of their families and creating conditions for their proper rest and recreation has a noticeable effect on the strengthening of military discipline and law and order, helping to create a favorable moral and psychological atmosphere in naval collectives. This work is carried on with due regard for the specifics of the missions assigned to the fleets and is meant to foster among the servicemen high standards of spiritual culture, moral qualities and a sense of pride for their Fatherland, for the history of Russia and its Armed Forces, and for service in the Navy.

Today the Navy has a powerful and efficient base for organizing cultural activities: 50 officers' houses and clubs, 56 sailors' clubs, 6 song and dance companies, 8 museums, 134 military unit clubs, and 643 libraries with a book stock of 5.5 million copies. One should note that the Navy alone has managed to preserve four drama theaters. For example, the theater of the Northern Fleet has more than 20 plays on different topics in its repertoire. The company is also staging new plays in different genres, ranging from world classics to children's performances. A play called "I Am Close, I Am Nearby, I Am Here" about the heroic feat of Magomet Gadzhiev has become the theater's visiting card.

The professional work of the song and dance companies of all the fleets without exception is particularly productive. Not only Russian, but also foreign audiences are amazed at their mobility. During friendly and duty visits by ships of the Navy to Britain, France, Germany, Italy, India, Greece and the USA, these song and dance companies have given more than 20 concerts. Demonstration of the Russian National Flag and of the Navy's St. Andrew Flag, propaganda of Russian culture and art--such are the tasks successfully performed by naval art companies.

Large-scale research and educational work in the interests of patriotic education of the younger generation and naval personnel is carried on by the Central Naval Museum (CNM) in St. Petersburg. In 2003, for example, the museum and its main branches (Avrora Cruiser, Kronshtadt Fortress, Road of Life, Submarine D-2) held over five thousand excursions for more than 600 thousand persons, including about 30 thousand servicemen. Last year the CNM took part in 22 exhibitions, where it displayed over 1,000 museum pieces. Exhibitions to mark the 300th anniversary of the Baltic Fleet and the city of St. Petersburg were held successfully abroad. Members of the staff of the CNM and its branches have traditionally taken an active part in "courage lessons" at secondary schools, in events to mark the days of Russia's military glory, in ceremonies held to administer the oath of allegiance, in the work of the Navy's Joint Veterans' Council, submarine veterans' council and club, and Avrora Cruiser Veterans' Council.

Last year, a training assembly of naval library workers was held, for the first time in 15 years, on the basis of the Central Naval Library. At a workshop held by the Library on the topic of "Military Research-and-Education and Public Libraries of the Navy. Current Condition. Problems. Development Prospects," naval librarians examined the causes of unproductive work in the military field and charted the possible ways of resolving urgent problems.

The Navy's command and control agencies have continued their efforts to upgrade the system of heroic-patriotic education of servicemen, based on the Concept of Heroic-Patriotic Education of RF Citizens. Military patronage activities have been stepped up. Last year, patronage relations were established and developed with more than 240 RF subjects, cities, institutions and organizations. With the direct participation of the educational directorates of the Navy and the fleets, the Moscow Government followed up its Decree "On Moscow Patronage of the RF Navy" with a "Comprehensive Medium-Term Target Program of Moscow Patronage of the RF Navy for 2003-2005." The program provides for broad cooperation in the areas of logistics, military patriotic education, social protection of servicemen and reserve personnel, and cultural, educational, research and information activities. Ceremonies held jointly with the Moscow Government in unveiling monuments to the heroic sailors of the Black Sea Fleet and Admiral F.F. Ushakov in South Butovo had a positive public response both among Muscovites and among navy men.

In 2004, the Navy is to mark a number of significant jubilees, primarily the centenary of the heroic feat of the Varyag cruiser and the centenary of the birth of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N.G. Kuznetsov. In this connection, the Navy has launched large-scale preparations, including at the international level.

Among the nontraditional forms of influencing naval personnel, joint educational activities with religious organizations, especially with the Russian Orthodox Church, have proved to be most successful. Today one can say that within the framework of these relations the Navy is about to reach a new level. It has been working together with the Patriarchate to draw up an agreement on cooperation between the Navy and the Russian Orthodox Church, which is to be concluded in early 2005. I would like to say that the establishment of relations with the Church is not a token gesture, but an effective instrument in the spiritual and ethical education of servicemen. An example here is the Navy's participation in arranging the stay of the relics of St. Andrew the First Called in the provinces of the Russian Orthodox Church. By order of RF President Vladimir Putin, the Navy took a direct part in organizing government assistance in the preparation and holding of that important cultural and historical, as well as religious, event, during which the relics of the patron saint of seamen were displayed in all the fleets.

One of the main problems in organizing an effective educational process in the Navy is the personnel problem. Although the manning status of educational agencies is relatively high, the professional standards of educational officers are inadequate and have a tendency to decline. Thus, in the tactical echelon only about one-half of all deputy commanders for educational work have a basic specialized education. In this connection, a humanities department was opened at the Naval Radioelectronics Institute in 2001. After two enrolments, the department has a total of about 200 students. The first professionally trained officers are to join the Navy in 2006. In addition, all naval institutes have introduced a course of lectures on the organization of moral and psychological support and educational work. For five years now, the Baltic Naval Institute has had a system of electives for final-year students in order to help them prepare for appointments to initial posts in educational structures. In 2003, 20 officers graduating from that institute were appointed to the initial posts of educational officers.

The system of educational work among personnel, based on the ideas of service to the Fatherland, loyalty to one's military duty and to the spiritual and military traditions of the Russian Navy, is an integral part of maintaining the Navy's combat readiness. Its constant upgrading is a requirement of the present stage in the further development and enhancement of the Navy's combat readiness.

Rear Admiral F.S. SMUGLIN

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for Educational Work

Fyodor Savelyevich SMUGLIN was born on 11 March, 1953, in the city of Tartu, Estonian SSR. After graduation from the M.V. Frunze Naval Academy and the V.I. Lenin Military Political Academy, he served at military educational institutions of the Navy and then continued his career as deputy commander of diesel and nuclear submarines of the Northern Fleet and deputy commander of the Leningrad Naval Base for educational work. Since 2002, F.S. Smuglin has been deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy for educational work and head of the directorate for educational work.