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If you compare the armies of different countries, then each of them will have its own peculiarity. If we talk about the army of the Republic of Belarus, then it has its own zest. The term of military service is tied to the presence of higher education. To be specific, it turns out that if a conscript has a higher education, he serves for 12 months, if his education is lower, up to 18 months. If a young man graduated from an institute with a military department, the period is reduced to 6 months.
What's next?
In 2014, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus stated that there was no need to change the terms of military service. It still adheres to this line. In the coming years, 2017–2018 There will be no changes related to the terms of conscript service. As employees of the General Staff said, the country's needs for conscripts are fully met.
The current conscription campaign has fully fulfilled the conscription plan. If you suddenly have to reduce the service life, this will reduce the grounds for deferment. And this will primarily hit students at higher educational institutions. Although in more than one country, the length of service is not tied to the presence of a higher education in a soldier. In addition, a Belarusian young man has the right to learn a military specialty while being in the reserves. Conscripts in the reserve are specialists in their profession, who are valued and respected at work. They have the right to go to military training periodically, without interrupting their main place of work. The list of professions included in the reserve includes more than 10 specialties.
The period of military service does not include:
- the period that the conscript spent in arrest;
- time spent in the guardhouse;
- the period of unauthorized abandonment of military service, regardless of the reasons;
- time of service under a contract, if the soldier has not fully served his military service and terminated the contract early.
A serviceman of the Republic of Belarus serves in military positions: soldier, sailor, sergeant major, sergeant, warrant officer, officer and midshipman.
A military man has the right to occupy strictly one position. The President of the Republic of Belarus appoints and dismisses the Minister of Defense and other heads of government agencies.
Demography
Due to the demographic situation in the Republic of Belarus, the number of conscripts is decreasing. Therefore, deferments from military service were canceled for students who were studying abroad, part-time students or young men on distance learning. As a result, the military registration and enlistment offices fulfilled the conscription plan.
In Belarus, the system of recruiting the Armed Forces, which includes conscripts and contract soldiers, does not change. Recently, more and more soldiers, transferred to the reserve after military service, are entering into a contract for further service in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. Now their number has exceeded 5 thousand soldiers and sergeants.
In June 2015, the Law “On Alternative Service” was adopted in the Republic of Belarus. It came into force in July 2016. The main law of the BR is the Constitution. It spells out all the rights of citizens, but in addition to rights there are also responsibilities. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, defense of the state is the sacred duty of a citizen. Due to various circumstances and varying health conditions, not all young men have this opportunity; some do not serve for family reasons, while others simply avoid military service. Among the draft dodgers there are physically developed young men who, for their moral reasons, cannot deal with weapons or military equipment. This goes against their religious principles. For this layer of citizens, the Government of the Republic introduced alternative service in the army.
When submitting a summons, such a young man has every right 10 days before the end of the conscription campaign to submit an application to the military registration and enlistment office. It is considered by the commission directly in his presence.
The draft commission makes a decision based on the testimony of the conscript, oral information from witnesses, materials and documents confirming his religious direction. The law also lists the grounds under which alternative service is denied.
The conscript will have to undergo alternative service in those territories where the Ministry of Labor and Social Development will send him. He will have to temporarily change his place of residence, where temporary housing and a place of work will be provided. This service will take place at social facilities. The working week will be 48 hours, and the duration of civil service will be twice as long as fixed-term service. That is, if the conscript has a higher education for two years, and if not, then for three whole years. So when deciding to serve on an alternative basis, the conscript needs to weigh the pros and cons.
Thus, it became clear that the length of military service in the army of the Republic of Belarus will not change. It will remain at the same values in 2017-2018.
Video: Duration of military service in the army of Belarus
The issue of reducing the duration of compulsory military service is not currently being considered. BELTA was informed about this by Colonel Sergei Puzakov, First Deputy Head of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus. He emphasized that now Belarusians with higher education already serve for six months less, although this practice does not exist, for example, in Russia and Armenia.
“Directly, the service life of conscripts depends on the need of troops for new replenishment in each conscription. Simply put, the shorter the duration of military service, the more citizens need to be called up to complete it. The existing periods of military service and the number of grounds determined by law for deferments and exemptions from conscription for compulsory military service and service in the reserve meet the needs for recruiting troops. And shortening the terms of service will also require reducing the number of grounds for deferments and exemptions from conscription. At the same time, you need to understand that this will primarily affect delays for continuing education. In addition, the period of compulsory military service for military personnel with higher education has already been reduced compared to others from 18 to 12 months. But, for example, in Russia or Armenia this period is the same for everyone,”- said Sergei Puzakov.
He also recalled that conscription of citizens for compulsory military service and reserve service in Belarus is limited to 27 years of age. According to him, this allows young people, even taking into account the deferment for obtaining full-time education in educational institutions, to complete military service.
In accordance with the law “On Military Duty and Military Service”, the period of conscription military service is established: for military personnel without higher education undergoing compulsory military service - 18 months; for military personnel with higher education undergoing compulsory military service - 12 months; for military personnel who have completed training at military departments or faculties under training programs for junior commanders, who have passed the exams established by the training programs and are undergoing compulsory military service - 6 months.
In addition, young people, in addition to completing military service, can obtain a military specialty by completing military service in the reserves. Young people who are well trained and who are needed by enterprises and organizations are sent to such service. They serve without stopping their work by undergoing military training. Every year, up to 3 thousand people are called up for this type of service, and reservists are trained in more than a hundred specialties.
According to him, now in the republic there is a decrease in the number of conscripts for objective reasons, including due to the demographic situation. This did not come as a surprise; the corresponding forecasts formed the basis for changes and additions to the legislation on military service that were introduced in 2011. These amendments abolished the call for deferment for students of colleges and universities who study by correspondence or distance learning. This also applies to Belarusians who study abroad. As a result of such measures, it was possible to slightly increase the number of conscripts.
The specialist noted that in Belarus there are no plans to change the system of recruiting the Armed Forces, which combines military duty and the opportunity to voluntarily enlist in contact service. In addition, over 200 conscripts enter military service annually under contract, which is approximately 4% of the total number of contract soldiers. At the moment, about 5 thousand sergeants and soldiers are serving under contract.
Who can serve under a contract or join the special forces?
Sergei Puzakov recalled that citizens entering service under a contract must meet existing requirements for medical indicators, as well as for the professional and technical level of the chosen military specialty. The level of education, physical and professional training is also taken into account. Compliance with all these requirements is determined by certification commissions.
Based on the wishes of the recruits, most of them would prefer to serve in special operations forces, special forces or an honor guard company. True, desire alone is not enough for this; such troops require conscripts with ideal health, outstanding moral and business qualities, as well as excellent physical fitness.
When calling citizens for compulsory military service, as well as service in the reserve, the district and city conscription commissions at the place of residence determine the branch of the Armed Forces and other military formations in which specific conscripts can serve. The conscript’s desire to be sent to a specific military unit is taken into account by the commission, but it is not decisive when making a decision. As a rule, the recruitment of conscripts to the Armed Forces occurs on a territorial basis; conscripts are tried to be sent as close as possible to the places where they live. However, if necessary, this parameter can be ignored.
Regarding conscripts those trying to “dodge” the army, their number does not exceed 1%. Such conscripts are identified in the course of joint activities by military commissariats and territorial internal affairs bodies. Conscription commissions make decisions on sending case materials to the prosecutor's office in order to bring them to justice, and we can talk about not only administrative, but also criminal liability.
Text: Svetlana Ponomareva
Today, in the Republic of Belarus, male citizens who have reached the age of eighteen are subject to conscription for military service. At the same time, despite the poor demographic situation in the republic, students of secondary and higher educational institutions are given a deferment until the end of their studies. It is especially worth noting that service in the Belarusian army for conscripts with higher education lasts 1 year, everyone else will have to repay their debt to the Motherland for 18 months.
Since last year, citizens of the Republic of Belarus have the right to choose whether to serve in military service or serve under a contract.
Regardless of the form of service, the requirements for citizens of military age are the same for all and consist of the following indicators: timely attendance at the military commissariat to undergo a medical examination and receive a verdict on fitness for service in the armed forces; after receiving a summons with an order to appear for service at the location of the unit to which the conscript is assigned, immediately report to the collection point to be sent directly to the unit.
Places of service and branches of the army of the Republic of Belarus
Conscripts of the Republic of Belarus, during a medical examination, have the right to indicate their priority branch of the military, where they would like to serve. And there are 4 of them in Belarus.
Ground forces, divided into 2 operational commands: Northwestern and Western. This type of force includes missile forces and artillery, mechanized formations, communications units and ground air defense forces.
Air Force and Air Defense Forces. Moreover, the fleet of combat vehicles includes almost 100 units of equipment. In addition, since 2005, 4 divisions of anti-aircraft missile systems have been in service, donated to Belarus by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Transport troops, whose main task is to provide technical cover, restore and ensure the capacity of roads and railways during combat operations.
Special Operations Forces, an analogue of the Russian Air Force. The main tasks of fighters of this type of troops: counter-sabotage activities, the use of special methods in solving assigned tasks to end armed conflicts.
Features and regulations of the military service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus
In October 2008, the President of Belarus signed a Decree on the final edition of the Charter of the Internal Service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, which became the main document defining the rights and responsibilities of military personnel. In addition, the Charter determines the order of relationships and internal rules in military units.
The Charter serves as a guide to action not only for military units, but also for headquarters, organizations and military educational institutions.
The Charter is the main document on which to rely when conducting military operations, exercises and exercises conducted in peacetime.
The main features of military service in the Republic of Belarus are not only the duration of service, namely, conscripts with a diploma of higher education serve for 1 year, all others - 18 months, but also in the rules for admission to contract service.
Let us explain that a soldier undergoing military service submits a report of his intention to switch to a contract form of service directly to the company commander. Which, in turn, transmits a report with a characteristic recommendation attached to it to the unit commander. Next, an interview and medical examination are carried out, based on the results of which the serviceman is transferred to a contract uniform.
Military age in the Republic of Belarus is established by part one of Article 30:
The following are subject to conscription for military service and reserve service:
for compulsory military service, reserve service - male citizens aged 18 to 27 years those who are or are required to be registered with the military and who are not in the reserve (hereinafter referred to as citizens who are not in the reserve);
for military service of conscripted officers - male citizens under 27 years of age who have completed training programs for reserve officers at military departments or faculties, have passed state final exams, are enrolled in the reserve and have the military rank of officer (hereinafter referred to as citizens enrolled in the reserve with the military rank of officer).
As can be seen from the above quote, conscription for compulsory military service or reserve service can only be done at the age of 27. That is, as soon as a young man turns 27 years old, he will no longer be able to be drafted into the army. Despite the obviousness of this fact, there is a widespread misconception that people are supposedly called up to serve up to 28 years of age (they try to explain this by adding the word “inclusive”, which is missing from the law). A person who knows how to read laws and is familiar with the basics of mathematics will easily come to the conclusion that “up to 27 years” is that period of time that precedes the age of 27 years, but cannot in any way extend after this event. The easiest way to check this is to remember clause 41 of the Rules for the sale of certain types of goods and catering, according to which the sale is prohibited:
minors under 18 years of age alcoholic and low-alcohol (with a volume fraction of ethyl alcohol not exceeding 7 percent) drinks, beer, tobacco products, playing cards, erotic products, products containing elements of eroticism, violence and cruelty, sexual products;
To buy alcoholic beverages or tobacco products, a citizen must wait until he reaches the age of eighteen, not nineteen, as required by the wording “up to 18 years of age.”
In addition, according to part two of Article 36 of the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service”:
The decision to conscript citizens for military service or reserve service can be made only after they reach the age of 18.
Another interesting note regarding the conscription age in Belarus. Article 30 of the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service” regulates only the age of conscription for compulsory military service, service in the reserve - that is, up to dispatch to a place of service in a military unit. It does not at all follow from this that a private who was called up for service shortly before his 27th birthday will be dismissed from service immediately after his birthday. Sadly, the entire intended service life will have to be completed in its entirety.
Periodically appearing rumors about a sudden increase in the conscription age in Belarus to 29, 30 or 35 years old remain nothing more than rumors. To change the conscription age, it will be necessary to change Article 30 of the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service,” which is impossible to do without attracting public attention. Significant amendments to the Law are always vigorously discussed in the media. Moreover, there is no need to increase the draft age when it is possible to quietly and imperceptibly change the Schedule of Diseases, lowering the bar of fitness for service.