ABSTRACT
The Soviet Union has had a system of universal military training for males since 1939. Boys are given premilitary training by Soviet schools and other organizations as a part of military-patriotic training. Military commissariats are "local agencies of military administration," found throughout the Soviet Union. Each of the Soviet republics has a military commissariat, headed by a general major, who is the military commissar of the republic. The Soviet Armed Forces require individuals who are trained in one or more of four hundred specialties. The number of specialists to be trained is established by the Council of Ministers and the list of specialties and programs of training are under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense. Two organizations peculiar to the Soviet Union play essential roles in the training and mobilization of the Soviet Armed Forces. The first of these is the military commissariat; the second is DOSAAF—The Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and the Fleet.
