ABSTRACT
Recruiting practices in the Soviet armed forces are determined by two major factors: the principle of universal conscription and the desire to achieve an ethnic balance conducive to the establishment of key military and political objectives of the Soviet Army. The most important induction and recruitment functions are performed by a network of military commissariats, set up at every administrative level from the republic down to the city district. The voenkomat is not exclusively a recruiting and induction office, but it is by far the most important organ in the system. Nominally, the voenkomat is under the general jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense and the Main Political Administration, but the actual chain of command leads to the Soviet General Staff by way of the commander of the military district. The voenkomats also often make exceptions for recruits with special nonmilitary skills that are in demand in the military, such as renowned sportsmen, musicians, artists, and actors.
