Professional training of officers in Russia and the emergence of the military education system originate at the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries. and are inextricably linked with the name of Peter the Great. He believed that " good and thorough teaching is the root, seed and foundation of all the benefits of the Fatherland." The creation of a regular army and navy, without which it is unthinkable to preserve the integrity and security of the state, is impossible without a corps of professionally trained officers who form the backbone of any military organization. Previously, Russia had no experience in training such officers. The State did not have either secular civil or military educational institutions. The problem was solved to some extent by inviting foreign instructors who trained Russian command cadres, or by making it mandatory for noble children to join regiments where they learned military affairs from the lowest ranks up to the rank of officer. A small number of noble children were sent to study abroad. Foreign mercenaries were also recruited for military service. At the end of the 17th century, there were about 1,000 of them in the army and navy. But all this was not enough for the mass army that was being created.

The great reformer of Russia, Peter I, aware of the leading role of the officer corps, took measures to train military specialists. In 1697, going on his first trip to Europe, he took with him several bambardirs of the Preobrazhensky regiment, who later began to train future fortifiers and artillerymen in the bombardier company.

The first military educational institution in Russia is rightfully considered to be the school of "mathematical, navigational, that is, navigational cunning exercises", created by the highest personal decree of January 14 (January 25, new style) 1701, known in history as the Navigation School. From this date, we are counting down not only military, but also secular professional education in our country. This school was located in Moscow in the building of the Sukharevskaya Tower and was under the jurisdiction of the Armory, and since 1706-by Order of the Navy and the Admiralty Chancellery. Children of "noble, deacon, subdeacon, from the houses of boyars and other ranks" at the age of 12-17 years were accepted for study. In 1703, it had 300 students, in 1711 - 500. The school provided not only military-professional training in the field of maritime sciences, artillery, fortification and geodesy, but also good general education at that time. Graduates of the nobility were assigned to the navy, artillery, engineers in the army, teachers in other educational institutions, and persons of the lower classes, who were trained only in literacy and numeracy, became clerks, architectural assistants and employees of the Admiralty. Among the graduates of the Navigation School are future famous Admirals N. F. Golovin and V. Ya. Chichagov, famous surveyors I. K. Kirilov, M. S. Gvozdev, F. F. Luzhin, a major figure of the Russian enlightenment N. G. Kurganov and others.

The conduct of the Northern War with Sweden (1700-1721) required new military specialists, primarily naval officers, gunners, and engineers, who were needed to form new units, build fortresses, and build up the fleet. In 1712, an Engineering and Artillery School was established in Moscow. However, they could not meet all the needs for military personnel. The main source of replenishment of the officer corps, especially in the infantry and cavalry, remained the production of officers from soldiers and non-commissioned officers.

After 1730 and until the end of the XVIII century, the main educational institutions for training officers were cadet corps. They were created anew or organized on the basis of previously existing military schools. In 1732, the Land Corps was created, in 1752 - the Sea Corps, in 1762 - the Artillery and Engineering Corps, in 1799-the Grodno Cadet Corps. Initially, the corps accepted children of nobles aged 13-18 years, later-no older than five years. Accordingly, the duration of training increased from 5 - 6 to 15 or more. Cadets received a broad general education and special military training, and priority was given to their moral and military education. In total, until the end of the XVIII century, the cadet corps produced about 5 thousand military specialists, which far from meeting the needs of the army and navy in officers.

By 1860, there were 19 cadet corps in Russia and the most privileged educational institution - the Page Corps, built on the model of cadets. All corps (except the Sea Corps), including the Finnish Topographic, Artillery and Engineering Corps, became combined arms. A unified curriculum was introduced for them and a general organization and organization procedure was established. All subjects were divided into three courses: preparatory (1 year), general (5 years) and special (3 years). Leading scientists and university professors were involved in the development of educational programs. Accepted

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measures to equip universities with the best teachers and educators, who were given significant advantages in service compared to military officers, and their enrollment in the states was made only after a two-year probationary period. In 1848, the "Manual for the education of pupils of military educational institutions" was highly approved-the first detailed document on many issues of military educational affairs. Much attention was paid to the education of future officers. The cornerstone of educational work was the triune formula "For the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland", the first subject in the curriculum was the Law of God. Moral education was aimed at forming a sense of self-esteem and officer honor, readiness for self-sacrifice in the name of the Motherland.

Since the end of the XVIII century, the process of forming a new type of higher military educational institutions for Russia-military academies designed to improve the skills of officers and train officers with higher education. In 1798, the Medical and Surgical Academy was created, in 1832 - the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, in 1855-the Mikhailovsky Artillery and Nikolaev Engineering Academy, in 1867-the Military Law Academy, in 1877 - the Naval Academy. On the basis of a strict competitive selection, officers who had received experience in military service were accepted to study. The training period ranged from two to three years. Very quickly, the academies became the centers of Russian military-theoretical and military-engineering thought. Over many decades, they have brought up a large galaxy of outstanding military leaders, scientists, cultural figures and artists with world-famous names.

It should be noted that officers were also trained by some educational institutions that were not part of the military department. So, they were produced, in particular, by the famous Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Military engineering cadres were trained by the Institute of Railway Engineers, Mining and Forestry Institutes, whose graduates were promoted to officers, but served mainly not in the army, but in the relevant departments.

The radical military reforms carried out by the Minister of War D. A. Milyutin in the 60 - 70s radically affected the system of military education.

All work on the reform of military education was carried out on the basis of the conclusions and proposals of a special committee specially created for this purpose in 1862.

General education in military educational institutions was separated from military education. Junior classes of cadet corps were transformed into military gymnasiums. They were assigned the task of providing pupils with a general education at the gymnasium level and preparing them for admission to military schools. By the end of the 70s, there were 18 military gymnasiums, and among those entering military schools, their graduates accounted for up to 75 percent. In 1882, the military gymnasiums were again transformed into cadet corps, while retaining the tasks of preparing for admission to military schools.

To increase the volume of training of combined-arms officers at large headquarters, 17 junker schools with a light program are being formed. For training in them, non-commissioned officers and volunteers of all classes are accepted. In the 70s - 80s, cadet schools provided the main replenishment of the officer corps in the army, but their graduates were significantly inferior in level of training to graduates of military schools.

At the beginning of the XIX century, a system of military education management was born. In 1805, the Council on Military Schools was established. In 1831, the post of Chief Chief of military educational institutions was introduced, and in 1832, the Headquarters of the Chief Chief of Military Educational institutions was established. During the Milyutinsky military reform, it was considered necessary to concentrate the management of all military educational institutions in the Ministry of War.

In 1863, the Main Directorate of Military Educational Institutions was established, which became the central body of the Ministry of War for the management of military education. His first chief was N. V. Isakov, a general with the richest military, including combat, experience, a graduate of the General Staff Academy.

In a short time, the Main Directorate of Military Educational Institutions became a highly authoritative, competent military education management body with great authority. Currently, its legal successor is the Department of Military Education of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The military education system was further developed during the military reforms of 1905-1912.

General secondary education and pre-university military training before the First World War were provided by 28 cadet corps and 7 preparatory schools. The reorganization of the Junker cadets, which began in 1886, has been fully completed.

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from military schools to normal military schools. As a result, 24 military schools provided direct training for officers. Specialists of the branches of the armed forces were trained by a number of special officer schools in new areas of development of weapons and military equipment: automobile, two aviation, railway and others. The navy has created a scuba diving class, diving and navigation classes, and a school of naval aviation. In 1911, the seventh military academy, the Quartermaster's Academy, was organized. The capacity of military academies, colleges and schools has been significantly expanded.

As a result of the transformations, the Russian system of officer training has acquired a strict logical sequence and uniformity in its main links. In terms of its scientific and pedagogical potential and the level of training of graduates, it has firmly taken one of the first places among the leading countries of the world. During the First World War, no significant changes were required, except for the creation of a wide network of ensign schools for accelerated training of officers.

Historical experience shows that the Russian military school has been the subject of special care and attention of the state since its inception, and has always been at the center of military-organizational processes. For the first two centuries of its existence, it accumulated a unique military-historical experience of Russia, formed national traditions of training and education of military personnel. Experience and traditions should be used in every possible way, and they should be used to improve the training of officers for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

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