The big gold star on the shoulder straps of the Minister of Defense makes many people think that the military rank of Shoigu is Marshal (this is the tradition brought up by the long "one-star" Soviet marshals in newsreels, feature films, military photo albums). In fact, the head of the law enforcement agency has been in the rank of army general since 2003. The marshal's star for military shoulder straps of this level, President Putin decreed quite recently - in 2013.
The shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Russian Federation and the general of the army - what's the difference?
The second symbol, located closer to the collar of the jacket - a red star in a wreath - indicates the military rank of an army general. This is followed by the same gold, marshal-like in appearance, it has a diameter of forty millimeters. The same is embroidered on the shoulder straps of the Admiral of the Fleet. The Marshal of the Russian Federation, with the same size of the only big star, has the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, a double-headed eagle, above it.
The stars on the shoulder straps of the lower generals have half the diameter - 20 millimeters. Earlier, before February 2013,Shoigu's military rank allowed him to wear four of these stars. To this day, three are decorated with shoulder straps of a colonel general, two - a lieutenant general, one - a major general.
Flickering marshal stars
The four-star epaulettes of an army general were legalized in 1943. For the same military rank, in a thirty-three-year period, starting in 1974, a large marshal's star was provided. That is how it was perceived by the people's consciousness, brought up on newsreels of the Great Victory. Then, in 1993, the military rank of marshal was abolished, and in 1997, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin signed a decree on the return of the wartime tradition - to place four stars on the shoulder straps of an army general.
The rank of Marshal of the Russian Federation was not abolished by the 1997 reform. However, from that time until now, it has never been assigned to anyone (like the Stalinist Generalissimo, which was listed in the charters until 1993, but not inherited by anyone).
The military rank of Shoigu is now higher than that of the President of the Russian Federation and the Queen of England
President Putin, dressed in a uniform, wears the modest shoulder straps of a colonel (the rank in which he was transferred to the reserve from the KGB, now the FSB). So formally Shoigu's military rank is higher than that of the president. But the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a priority.
Recall that Emperor Nicholas II also led the state with the rank of colonel. The same title is worn by all the current monarchs of Great Britain (not excluding the imposing Elizabeth II, "assigned" toHorse Guards Regiment).
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is also a reserve colonel. With respect to mutual "reverence" the prime minister and the president have an absolutely equal tandem. They can greet each other on occasion as equals in rank.
Unprecedented career of Sergei Kuzhugetovich
To obtain the current rank of seniority, it is necessary, according to the Regulations on the order of military service (Article 22), to stay in the army ranks (having joined them as a private) for at least 30 years. From receiving a lieutenant (the military rank of Minister of Defense Shoigu, in which he retired in 1977) - at least 26 years. That is how much the calendar passed until 2003, when on May 7 he became an army general.
The surprising thing is that Sergey Kuzhugetovich became Major General on April 26, 1993, at that time, according to the existing order, according to the existing order, he was only en titled to shoulder straps … a senior lieutenant, at best - a captain (for military service he re-enrolled in 1991). If the officer continuously and most successfully climbed the army hierarchy, by this time he could have risen to the rank of colonel. Either Boris Yeltsin "mixed up" the ranks, or the merits to the country are so great, but many military ranks Shoigu "slipped in transit."
Segey Kuzhugetovich received the rank of lieutenant after graduating from the military department of the Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic University. He successfully passed all the sergeant steps associated with military service. Thus,Shoigu's military ranks form a dizzyingly short chain of just five links - from lieutenant to successive general ranks.
General Steps
In this part of climbing the official ladder, the recommendations of the Army Regulations were formally observed: two years later, on May 5, 1995, Shoigu became a major general, three and a half years later, on December 8, 1998, - general colonel. From May 7, 2003 to the present, Shoigu's military ranks have "stalled" at the high level of army general. Actually, it would be illogical to assign a higher marshal rank to the head of the ministry with the "colonel status" of the president himself.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin eschews the army pomposity that Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin did not neglect in his time. Rumors about the assignment of the Marshal rank to the President of the Russian Federation turned out to be premature. Moreover, it is unlikely that the rank of generalissimo or field marshal (both perceived purely as belonging to history) will be revived in Russia. Therefore, the current situation is likely to last at least until the end of the presidency of the current head of state.
Expect a "supernova"?
It seems that the very phrase "general of the army" is perceived by the ear very solidly and has a wide semantic connotation: the leader of the entire Russian army, all the armed forces. So, presumably, in the near future the new military ranks of Shoigu in hisa brilliantly short track record does not appear.
But what will happen if Sergei Kuzhugetovich decides to run for president for the next term with the approval of the leading parliamentary party and with the blessing of his charismatic predecessor? Such a prospect is very likely, the transition from commanding the forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations to leading the army is one of the indirect signs of the "passing figure" of the future candidate.
Transition to the next level, raising the status to presidential status may serve as a state decision to award S. K. Shoigu marshal rank. And then a double-headed eagle, the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, will appear above the embroidered star on the pursuit with a diameter of 40 mm.
