MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax-AVN) - More than 1,500 commissioned officers will join the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) in 2003, the SMF press department told Interfax-Military News Agency Thursday.
This will be graduates of the SMF's own and other military educational establishments, the press service said.
The SMF's own educational establishments will make about 1,600 graduates, including about 200 attendants of the Military Academy. About 1,100 of them will serve for the SMF, others for other forces and state authorities.
Currently commissioned officers for the SMF are trained in the Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Force, Moscow, in the Rostov Military Institute and its branch in Stavropol, and in the Serpukhov Military Institute, Moscow region. The Perm Military Institute is being disbanded, and this year's graduation will be the last one.
Fifty graduates have got gold medals, about 200 graduated with honors. The graduation ceremonies will take place June 21.