MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Defense Ministry's leadership is considering changes to the order of selection of applicants for higher military educational establishments, Lieutenant General Nikolai Pankov, head of the ministry's HR department and deputy defense minister in charge of HR, said on Friday.
"Professional selection must be improved and spread to more regions of the country in the framework of the reform," Pankov told Interfax-Military News Agency.
It is also necessary to introduce sponsorship for applicants on behalf of military commissioner's offices and heads of local administration bodies, he stressed.
"This will exclude or at least bring down to the lowest possible level the number of people who are enrolled in higher military educational establishments by chance," the general said.
He said that "it is still a common situation when a cadet hands in his resignation from military service right upon graduation from a higher military educational establishment." At the same time, the Defense Ministry has no possibilities to get back the money it has spent on the training of the future officer.
That is why the ministry is considering introduction of so- called flexible contracts with citizens enrolled in higher military educational establishments. The contracts will abide cadets to pay off the funds spent on their training in case they are unwilling to continue the military service.
Pankov said he supported promotion of more women to ranks of officers in the Russian army.
This should be done, in particular, to improve an unfavorable demographic situation in Russia that badly affects the manning level of the Armed Forces.