Day of reconnaissance troops. Scout Day: description, history and interesting facts. What date is Military Intelligence Day?
Read also
This is a professional holiday for Russian military personnel, whose service is, in one way or another, connected with military intelligence. The holiday was established by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2000.
Intelligence is one of the oldest professions, which not only has not lost its relevance, but is also being improved every year.
Story
The date of the celebration was not chosen by chance. It was on this day, back in 1918, by order of the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, Leon Trotsky, that the Registration Directorate (Registrupr) was created in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to coordinate the efforts of all intelligence agencies of the army, as part of the Field Headquarters of the Red Army.
In order to train personnel, intelligence and military control courses were opened in Moscow, where 13 disciplines were taught, including geography, artillery, tactics, topography, human intelligence, counterintelligence, etc. A little later, elementary study of foreign languages (French, German, English, Japanese, Swedish, Finnish).
The first to head the Register was Semyon Aralov, a Bolshevik from among the Russian army intelligence veterans of the First World War.
It was the Register that became the prototype of the current central military intelligence management body - the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Today, the GRU is the most important component of strengthening the state. This structure combines all existing types of intelligence - strategic, intelligence, including illegal, technical, economic, space and military, better known as GRU special forces.
Military intelligence also existed in tsarist Russia as part of other military units. But as a separate unit, military intelligence of the Russian Federation dates back its history to November 5, 1918.
The oldest profession
Intelligence was a matter of national importance back in the days of Kievan Rus. Merchants, ambassadors, and residents of border areas were involved in collecting information.
The first central government bodies organizing and conducting intelligence appeared in Russia in the 16th century. And as Russia's influence in international affairs grew, so did the role of intelligence.
© photo: Sputnik / Fedor Levshin
Thus, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1654, the Order of Secret Affairs was founded, where intelligence management was concentrated. Later, Peter the Great, in the military regulations of 1716, for the first time provided a legislative and legal basis for intelligence work.
During the reign of Emperor Alexander the First in January 1810, on the initiative of the Minister of War Barclay de Tolly, the Secret Affairs Expedition was created under the ministry. In January 1812, the department was renamed the Special Chancellery under the Minister of War.
The special office solved the most important tasks: conducting strategic intelligence (collecting strategically important secret information abroad), operational-tactical intelligence (collecting data about enemy troops on the borders of Russia) and counterintelligence (identifying and neutralizing enemy agents).
The role of military intelligence officers was also invaluable during the Great Patriotic War. In the first six months of the war alone, about 10 thousand people were sent behind enemy lines, including a significant number of reconnaissance officers with radio transmitters. Military intelligence agencies created partisan detachments behind enemy lines.
During this period, the Main Directorate of Counterintelligence “Smersh” (short for “Death to Spies!”) was organized, which was engaged in the fight against sabotage and espionage activities of foreign states, the fight against betrayal and desertion in the ranks of the Soviet Army.
During this period, combat traditions of military intelligence developed and a large detachment of highly qualified intelligence officers was created who skillfully used their rich combat experience in the post-war period.
For the courage and heroism shown in carrying out special tasks to ensure national security, more than 700 military intelligence officers were awarded the high titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.
Representatives of this heroic profession today are still at the forefront and perform a wide range of tasks, the most important of which is obtaining information in the military, military-political, military-technical, military-economic and environmental spheres.
Now military intelligence is part of the structure of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Intelligence is the “eyes and ears” of the armed forces, the main means of obtaining information.
About the profession
Intelligence is a rare profession, and to master it, desire alone is not enough. It is very important to have such qualities as dedication, endurance, competence and fortitude.
Moreover, all these qualities must be supported by solid knowledge, experience and a sense of deep patriotism.
Service in intelligence involves a variety of situations, and military intelligence officers risk their lives, knowing this.
During military operations, the result of the battle and even the outcome of the war itself depend on military intelligence officers, so the actions of the intelligence officer must be very deliberate and balanced.
© photo: Sputnik / RIA Novosti
An experienced intelligence officer can save a single life, because the safety of a huge number of people and even an entire country depends on his service. Without military intelligence, the life of a modern state is simply impossible, and as long as there are organizations that pose a threat to the country, there will also be an intelligence service that guards state interests.
Many books have been written about scouts and their exploits, and many films have already been made. Collective images have become familiar and recognizable, and often much more famous than their real-life prototypes. The scout does not strive to be visible, and even his relatives do not know what he is doing.
Military intelligence has numerous intelligence networks in various countries, and intelligence officers live far from their homeland for decades. They are inconspicuous, and in everyday life, we will not be able to recognize the scout. They may never know about his feat, and if information does appear, it is unlikely that the hero’s real name will be broadcast and become known to the general public.
Traditions
Military Intelligence Day has been officially celebrated since 2000, based on the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. Before the signing of this document, the holiday was celebrated informally. The President of Russia included the event in the list of memorable dates in 2006, emphasizing the importance of the profession for protecting the country.
The celebration has a symbolic meaning, because many officers are not public people; their profession obliges them to “stay in the shadows” and not advertise their work.
The celebrations are attended by personnel of GRU units, including conscript and contract soldiers, junior and command level officers, and heads of the General Staff. The celebration is also attended by cadets and teachers from specialized higher educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense.
The events are attended by military personnel who have ever been in the ranks of these structures, their relatives, acquaintances, friends, relatives and close people.
The command organizes ceremonies for awarding certificates, medals, valuable gifts and promotions in rank.
On this day, the ritual of the so-called washing of the stars, which will soon appear on their shoulder straps, is carried out. Traditionally, new insignia are dipped into a glass of champagne, which is then drunk.
The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.
Intelligence activities are at the core of the security of any country. And, like any department, representatives of this profession have their own holiday. Reconnaissance day - what date? How was this structure created and what is its current activity? The article will tell you about all this.
What date is Military Intelligence Day?
Today this holiday is celebrated by contract and conscript soldiers, cadets and graduates of vocational schools. For a long time it was not established what date to celebrate the reconnaissance day. There was no official date, but those involved in the service were aware of its symbolic significance. Military Intelligence Day as a professional holiday in Russia arose only in 2006 and is celebrated on November 5. On this day in 1918, a special Registration Department was created, coordinating the actions of all units conducting intelligence work.
Now everyone knows what date to celebrate Intelligence Day. Every year in Russia ceremonial events are held to mark this day.
History of the profession
It appeared simultaneously with the emergence of the first state. In Rus', messengers, merchants, military men, and residents of border regions were involved in collecting valuable information. Later, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the creation of the Order of Secret Affairs in 1654, which became the first official intelligence agency.
In 1810, Barclay de Tolly initiated the creation of a secret affairs expedition under the War Ministry, later renamed the Special Office under the War Minister. Employees of this department were engaged in collecting strategically important intelligence information abroad, monitoring and reporting on foreign troops and their maneuvers on the border, and also carried out serious work to identify foreign agents. The first head of this unit was the adjutant wing, Colonel A.V. Voeikov, who took office on September 29. Reconnaissance Day began to be celebrated much later.
After the revolution, intelligence activities continued to be among the new state's top priorities. On November 5, 1918, the Registration Directorate arose, which included intelligence (intelligence) and military control (counterintelligence). It was headed by Semyon Aralov.
In 1918, special courses were organized to train future intelligence officers. The disciplines studied included topography, tactics, human intelligence and others. Later they began to teach English, German and other foreign languages. In 1926, the intelligence agencies became known as the IV Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters.
Intelligence during the Great Patriotic War
All activities of the Intelligence Directorate were focused on ensuring combat operations. Not only all regions of the country were covered, but also enemy-occupied territories of foreign states. Agents of reconnaissance and sabotage groups were deployed behind enemy lines, many of whom subsequently became the basis of partisan detachments. Information collected by strategic and operational intelligence formed the basis of all military operations.
Since 1942, the Intelligence Department began to report only to the People's Commissar of Defense. Activities were completely focused on human intelligence both in the USSR and on the territory of other states. Subsequently, a number of transformations were carried out, and since 1949 the name of the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was assigned to the structure.
Modern intelligence
Her area of interest continued to develop and expand. Now it covers everything that affects the preservation and strengthening of state security. The GRU includes all types and areas of intelligence that currently exist, and this is a large number. Intelligence Day is currently celebrated throughout the country, representatives of this profession are congratulated and honored. After all, it is thanks to their activities that all important information in the military, economic and political fields is obtained. Military intelligence officers monitor hot spots and the activities of extremist and terrorist organizations. Possible sources and routes of proliferation of components of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons are being studied. Military space intelligence is at a high level, which showed its effectiveness during the fighting in Syria.
Conclusion
What day is reconnaissance day is now known to everyone. In Russia, the Foreign Intelligence Academy is engaged in training future representatives of this profession, on the basis of which intelligence officers also improve their qualifications. All future cadets undergo a strict medical and psychological examination before being allowed to take the entrance exams.
November 5 is the Day of Military Intelligence, perhaps one of the most mysterious professions on Earth. The history of this holiday in our country dates back to 2000. In Russia, thanks to the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, from that time on, Scout Day is celebrated; the date and month were fixed later, in 2006,
Why November 5?
The date on which Scout Day is celebrated in Russia was not chosen by chance. This day was the date of the secret order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, which included the Registration Directorate in the staff of the Field Headquarters - at that time the first main body of military intelligence and counterintelligence of the Russian Republic. The formation of this particular structure can be considered the beginning of the emergence of Soviet, and subsequently Russian intelligence.
A little history
The need for valuable information that provides certain advantages in a particular matter has always existed, especially when it comes to state benefit or dominance in military operations. Intelligence activity gives the leadership of the state a noticeable predominance and begins to exist hardly earlier than such a form of interaction between people as war appeared. Traders, ambassadors and messengers, as well as residents of border areas often became collectors of particularly significant information in ancient times. Much later, legislative and legal foundations were laid and entire structures began to emerge that became the prototypes of the modern intelligence service. An example is Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. According to this Order, special people carried out various assignments at the will of the king, for example, monitoring ambassadors on trips abroad or carrying out investigations on matters of national importance.
At the moment, the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU for short, has become the full-fledged legal successor of the Regupra created in 1918. Since its inception, the department has undergone several reorganizations. Today, the GRU is a unified system that widely covers all known methods of conducting reconnaissance both within Russia and beyond its territories. The role of the GRU cannot be overestimated, because military intelligence makes a tangible contribution to the safety of the state. It is not surprising that, despite all its effectiveness, little is known about this service, because the data it possesses is of national importance and often plays a decisive role in making decisions about the country’s security.
What kind of people are these?
As the “eyes and ears” of the army, our country’s intelligence officers receive and analyze military and political information emerging around Russia, make forecasts of developments and promptly report to the highest authorities about real and possible threats that affect the interests of the Russian Federation. Every day, at the risk of their lives and often at the limit of their capabilities, intelligence officers carry out their quiet service. Unfortunately, the country will most likely never know most of its heroes, who carry out their service with high patriotism and dedication, putting the interests of the Fatherland above their own. But this is the price to pay for the highest secrecy of the information obtained, and therefore they deserve their own and it is called Scout Day. These people include unit personnel, conscript and contract soldiers, junior and command level officers, and heads of the General Staff.
Famous intelligence officers of the country
Information about only some outstanding intelligence officers can be found in the public domain. In honor of the holiday - Scout Day - it would be right to remember them and their great deeds.
Richard Sorge - revealed Germany's plans to attack the Soviet Union, which the top leadership warned about, but they did not believe him.
Jan Chernyak - organized one of the best intelligence networks during the Great Patriotic War, which managed to obtain a large amount of valuable information about the enemy’s plans.
Arthur Adams - during the war, obtained and transported materials related to America's atomic project.
Georges Koval - as an employee of the nuclear center in America, obtained all the comprehensive information on the development of the atomic bomb.
Ivan Kolos was a participant in multiple operations in the German and Polish rear during the Great Patriotic War. Participant of the Berlin operation.
Maria Polyakova - during an operation in Switzerland, she obtained information about the Oerlikon cannon used by the Germans. She was preparing to carry out special operations in the event of the capture of Moscow. Trained new scouts, organized
Vera Voloshina - together with Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya participated in the operation behind enemy lines. She was ambushed and executed. She was the model for the famous sculpture “Girl with an Oar”.
How to celebrate Scout Day
Not only military personnel, but also cadets and teachers of specialized universities of the Ministry of Defense consider this holiday theirs. Despite the long history of intelligence, servants of this profession began to celebrate Intelligence Day in Russia quite recently. Due to the specific nature of service, one has to serve secretly, and even relatives and friends do not always know what a person actually does. Therefore, military intelligence officers most often celebrate Scout Day with their colleagues quietly and modestly. But despite this, such a profession is very respected and worthy of admiration. And like everything mysterious, of course, there is a tendency to romanticize this profession, but we must not forget that, first of all, military intelligence officers are serious, versatile people of high endurance and fortitude, deeply patriotic and almost every day ready to risk their lives for the sake of safety Motherland.
Intelligence activities are at the core of the security of any country. And, like any department, representatives of this profession have their own holiday. - what date? How was this structure created and what is its current activity? The article will tell you about all this.
intelligence?
Today this holiday is celebrated by contract and conscript soldiers, cadets and graduates of vocational schools. For a long time it was not established what date to celebrate the reconnaissance day. There was no official date, but those involved in the service were aware of its symbolic significance. Military Intelligence Day as a professional holiday in Russia arose only in 2006 and is celebrated on November 5. On this day in 1918, a special Registration Department was created, coordinating the actions of all units conducting intelligence work.
Now everyone knows what date to celebrate Intelligence Day. Every year in Russia ceremonial events are held to mark this day.
History of the profession
It appeared simultaneously with the emergence of the first state. In Rus', messengers, merchants, military men, and residents of border regions were involved in collecting valuable information. Later ordered the creation in 1654 which became the first official intelligence agency.
In 1810, Barclay de Tolly initiated the creation of a secret affairs expedition under the War Ministry, later renamed the Special Office under the War Minister. Employees of this department were engaged in collecting strategically important intelligence information abroad, monitoring and reporting on foreign troops and their maneuvers on the border, and also carried out serious work to identify foreign agents. The first head of this unit was the adjutant wing, Colonel A.V. Voeikov, who took office on September 29. Reconnaissance Day began to be celebrated much later.
After the revolution, intelligence activities continued to be among the new state's top priorities. On November 5, 1918, the Registration Directorate arose, which included intelligence (intelligence) and military control (counterintelligence). It was headed by Semyon Aralov.
In 1918, special courses were organized to train future intelligence officers. The disciplines studied included topography, tactics, and others. Later they began to teach English, German and other foreign languages. In 1926, the intelligence agencies became known as the IV Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters.
Intelligence during the Great Patriotic War
All activities of the Intelligence Directorate were focused on ensuring combat operations. Not only all regions of the country were covered, but also enemy-occupied territories of foreign states. Agents of reconnaissance and sabotage groups were deployed behind enemy lines, many of whom subsequently became the basis of partisan detachments. Information collected by strategic and operational intelligence formed the basis of all military operations.
Since 1942, the Intelligence Department began to report only to the People's Commissar of Defense. Activities were completely focused on human intelligence both in the USSR and on the territory of other states. Subsequently, a number of transformations were carried out, and since 1949 the name GRU of the Armed Forces was assigned to the structure.
Modern intelligence
Her area of interest continued to develop and expand. Now it covers everything that affects the preservation and strengthening of state security. The GRU includes all types and areas of intelligence that currently exist, and this is a large number. Intelligence Day is currently celebrated throughout the country, representatives of this profession are congratulated and honored. After all, it is thanks to their activities that all important information in the military, economic and political fields is obtained. Military intelligence officers monitor hot spots and the activities of extremist and terrorist organizations. Possible sources and routes of proliferation of components of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons are being studied. Military space intelligence is at a high level, which showed its effectiveness during the fighting in Syria.
Conclusion
What day is reconnaissance day is now known to everyone. In Russia, the Foreign Intelligence Academy is engaged in training future representatives of this profession, on the basis of which intelligence officers also improve their qualifications. All future cadets undergo a strict medical and psychological examination before being allowed to take the entrance exams.
On November 5, Russia celebrates the 92nd anniversary of the creation of military intelligence. On this day in 1918, as part of the Field Headquarters of the Red Army in Petrograd, by order of the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, Leon Trotsky, a Registration Directorate was formed to coordinate the efforts of all intelligence agencies of the army. Since this day, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces has been operating. Military intelligence, of course, existed in Tsarist Russia, but not as an independent unit. Therefore, today's military intelligence officers of the Russian Federation count down their history from November 5, 1918. A little later, military intelligence and control courses were opened in Moscow, where geography, tactics, human intelligence were taught and French, German, English, Japanese, Swedish and Finnish were studied.
The Registration Directorate included two departments: intelligence (intelligence) - 39 people, and military control (counterintelligence) - 157 people. Military reconnaissance was carried out by the Intelligence Department of the Operational Directorate with a staff of 15 people. The first head of military intelligence was Semyon Ivanovich Aralov, a Bolshevik from among the intelligence veterans of the Russian army during the First World War. In addition to strategic and operational intelligence, the department carried out work to obtain military-technical information and information about advanced scientific achievements in the military field.
The Registration Directorate became the predecessor of the current central military intelligence agency - the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. Later, Soviet military intelligence began to be referred to in official documents as the 4th Directorate of the General Staff. The designation GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) was officially adopted in June 1942. In the modern history of Russia, the holiday - Military Intelligence Day - was established by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 490 dated October 12, 2000.
Over the past time, the role of the GRU has increased many times over. Today, military intelligence is the most important component of strengthening the state. The GRU combines all existing types of intelligence - strategic, intelligence, including illegal, technical, economic, space and military, better known as GRU special forces.
The intelligence profession is considered one of the oldest on earth. Even during the times of Kievan Rus, intelligence was a matter of national importance. Ambassadors, messengers, merchants, residents of border areas and military detachments were involved in collecting data. Later, already under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1654 the Order of Secret Affairs was founded - the prototype of the intelligence department of that time. In the Military Regulations of 1716, Peter I provided a legislative and legal basis for intelligence work.
During the reign of Emperor Alexander I in January 1810, on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly, the Secret Affairs Expedition was created under the Ministry of War, and in January 1812 it was renamed the Special Chancellery under the Minister of War. The special office solved the most important tasks: conducting strategic intelligence (collecting strategically important secret information abroad), operational-tactical intelligence (collecting data about enemy troops on the borders of Russia) and counterintelligence (identifying and neutralizing enemy agents).
The role of military intelligence officers was great during the Great Patriotic War. In the first six months of the war alone, about 10 thousand people were sent behind enemy lines, including a significant number of reconnaissance officers with radio transmitters. Military intelligence agencies created partisan detachments behind enemy lines. All this has already become the heroic history of our people.
Data obtained by military intelligence have repeatedly played a decisive role in the country's top leadership making decisions to ensure its security. Soviet and then Russian military intelligence convincingly demonstrated their indispensability and effectiveness during crisis situations in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Chechnya and other “hot spots.”
For the courage and heroism shown in carrying out tasks to ensure the country's national security, 692 military intelligence officers were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union and Heroes of the Russian Federation.
If the General Staff, according to the figurative definition of Marshal Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov, is the “brain of the army,” then Russian military intelligence is the eyes and ears of our Armed Forces, the main means of obtaining information. Defense, armed struggle is that sphere of human activity that at all times they tried to hide with a thick veil of mystery, and therefore all the information about the enemy, his plans and intentions, forces and means had to not only be received, but obtained, often at the risk of life, at the full limit of all strength and capabilities.
It can be said without a doubt that military intelligence is one of the most romantic and respected army specialties. Moreover, regardless of the specific specialization: an ordinary soldier going behind enemy lines for a “tongue” evokes no less admiration than a colonel working “undercover” in a distant country. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, it will not be possible to talk about many of these amazing people and their deeds for a long time.
GRU information is constantly in demand by the state. These are the eyes and ears not only of the Armed Forces, but also of the state in general. This is a unique mechanism, a unique intelligence service, with the help of which the country’s leadership can make verified, informed decisions. The GRU carries out its activities not only in traditional intelligence forms, not only with traditional forces and means, but also with the use of space and other special technical means and special forces.
It is necessary to continue to do everything to develop and strengthen this service, including taking into account new challenges and threats, to which the GRU responds adequately and in a timely manner. Military intelligence has been and remains the most important instrument of Russian military policy, reliably protecting its military-political and economic interests.