ABSTRACT
The 1967 Law on Universal Military Obligation requires Soviet males to serve in the military forces. Admission to a higher naval school would appear to be very competitive. Candidates must be males from seventeen to twenty-one years of age, and they must take rigorous entrance examinations in mathematics, physics, and other subjects. The curriculum at the five schools that train warfare officers is relatively broad. It emphasizes engineering but also includes courses in naval tactics, communism, philosophy, celestial navigation, radioelectronics, naval armament, and naval history. The specialized higher naval schools place more emphasis on specialized subjects but provide a general background. The Soviet Navy has overcome many personnel problems, but three problem areas remain: demographics, training quality, and morale. In summary, the Soviet Navy has a unique personnel system of questionable quality. The navy's success or failure will be measured by whether it can accomplish its missions.
