boards, called military commissariats, is subordinate to the military district. Military commissariats in Soviet civil jurisdictions roughly correspond to US civil jurisdictions as follows:
- Republic, which is a geographic region similar to the US South, West, or New England; there is no exact US counterpart.
- Kray and oblast, which are provinces similar to US states.
- Gorod, which is a city.
- Rayon, which is similar to a US county or city ward.
Military commissariats at the district level function as overall administrators of the system. They provide supervision to all subordinate officers. Those at republic, kray, oblast, and rayon levels perform administrative functions, though not all republics have military commissariats. Each of these levels also serves as a collection point for inductees. The center of the registration and draft process is the rayon military commissariat. It registers draft-age males, issues draft notices, and processes conscripts. It also transports conscripts to the next higher military commissariat for move ment to their assigned units. The rayon offices also have mobilization and reserve management responsibilities. There are about 4,700 military commissariat offices, of which at least 3,600 are at the rayon level.
During February and March of the year in which they reach their seventeenth birthday, young men report to the military commissariat to register. They receive a physical examination and an interview to determine their educational background, family situation, personal interests, attitude toward the military, and special knowledge or skills (if any) that would benefit the military. Each young man receives a booklet as proof of registration. He must report changes in residence, family situation, educational status, or the acquisition of additional skills to the military commissariat so officials can enter the new data in the registration booklet.
Each individual receives a final interview and a physical examination shortly before he is scheduled for conscription. Then the draft commission recommends that the young man be drafted, be deferred for one year because of temporary unfitness for active military service due to illness, be exempted from military service altogether if unfit, or be granted a deferment for family reasons or for continuation of education.
Twice each year—at the end of the spring planting season and at the end of the fall harvestthe military commissariats call males who have reached their eighteenth birthday to active duty. Older men up to age 27 whose periods of deferment have expired also face call-up. In peacetime, women 19 to 40 years of age who have medical or other specialized training may face military service. The 1967 Law on Universal Military Service reduced the required length of active service from three to two years for all except naval personnel.
Within the framework of quotas fixed by the Council of Ministers and the MOD, the commissariats assign inductees to the various branches, arms, and services of the component forces based on their abilities, occupational expertise, or specialties learned in training courses conducted by the Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy (DOSAAPF). The DOSAAF is subordinate to the MOD. It conducts premilitary training in secondary schools. Its programs acquaint students with military life. The programs can include tracked- and wheeled-vehicle driver training, parachuting, radio operation and maintenance, along with drill and rifle training. This training is one of the prime considerations for future soldiers' selection to a particular program, such as a military academy.
Draftees report to their military commissariat on the date set. Inductees go directly to their assigned units for a period of orientation, drill, and some refresher training. This lasts approximately a month, after which the conscripts become young soldiers and young sailors by reciting the military oath in a public ceremony. (See figure on next page.)
The Soviets probably only rarely grant permanent exemption from active or reserve duty except for clearly medical reasons. They usually give deferments for stated periods of time and then review them at the expiration of the period. The 1967 Law on Universal Military Service reduced the number of educational deferments and extended hardship or compassionate deferments.
There are three general categories of criteria for deferment: physical reasons, family circumstances, and continuation of education. The authorities may grant three-year deferments for physical problems or one-year deferments for illnesses. After this time, depending on the deferred citizen's state of health, the government will call him up for active duty, enroll him in the reserves, or acknowledge him to be altogether unfit and thus exempt from military service.
