State Defense Council

CSO was created on May 5, 1905 by the rescript of Nicholas II “On the need to proceed with the transformation of the higher administration of the military department” at the initiative of the uncle of the emperor , a professional military man, the cavalry general and the general inspector of the cavalry of the Russian army of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich . The latter was appointed to the post of chairman of the SGO on June 8, 1905 simultaneously with the approval of the "Provision on SGA".

This appointment of the Chairman of the SGO was preceded by the voluntary (“on the request”) dismissal of the senior officers of the Navy Department, General-Admiral Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, and Admiral F. K. Abelan on June 2, 1905. Within two to three weeks, new resignations and the appointment of senior military and naval officials followed: on June 21, V. Sakharov was dismissed from the post of minister of war and AF Rediger was appointed to the post of Minister of War on June 20/22; On June 29, A. A. Birilev was appointed to the post of Minister of the Navy.

... The State Defense Council turned out to be a body above the entire government apparatus of autocracy, its chairman entered the cabinet, and then the council of ministers, all departments were obliged to submit all assumptions to the CSO, the foreign minister was obliged to coordinate every government diplomatic step. Thus, in the SGO, both defense issues (both local, technical level, and strategic scale), as well as foreign and domestic policy of the state ... ^[1] .

The Council had the rights of a super-organization. Under him, the Higher Attestation Commission was established, which examined candidates for the positions of commanders of armies , corps , divisions and separate brigades . Subsequently, the Council, under the leadership of Nikolai Nikolayevich, conducted a revision of the Regulations on Field Command and Control and conducted the development of a new charter (1908).

June 8, 1905 approved the "Regulations on the CES."

According to the preamble of the Provision, the CGO was created specifically for “combining the activities of the highest military and naval administration and coordinating it with the activities of other government agencies” ^[2] .

According to the rules of the Regulations, the SGA consisted of “permanent members” (appointed by the personal decree of the king) and “indispensable members” (being members in view of high posts: military and maritime ministers, foreign minister , inspector general of the arms of the armed forces). Moreover, all decisions of the CSO could be made without the participation of "permanent members".

The current work of the CSO consisted of the work of the “Special Meetings at the CSF” (the frequency is once a month and a half, in fact, they were engaged in “working out” local technical issues) and directly the meetings of the CSO at which decisions were made on the issues.

When the SGA formed office , which worked constantly. CCF meetings were held as needed.

• “Permanent Members”: A. F. Rediger (War Minister, 1905–1909), F. F. Palitsyn (Head of the Main Directorate of Civil Defense , 1905–1908), A. A. Birilev (Maritime Minister, 1905–07), A. G Niedermiller ( Acting Chief of the Main Naval Staff , 1905-1906), OK K. Grippenberg (Inspector General of the Infantry, 1905-1906), Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich (Inspector-General of Artillery, 1905-1908), Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (Inspector-General of Military Schools, 1905-1908), Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich (Inspector-General of Engineering Troops, 1905-1909);
• “Permanent members”: generals N. I. Grodekov (February 3, 1906), M. A. Gazenkampf , N. P. Zarubaev (from 12/31/1905), N. I. Ivanov , S. N. Mylov , K. K. Sluchevsky , P. Z. Kostyrko , F. V. Dubasov (chairman of the Marine Technical Committee, 1905-1907).
• I.M. Dikov (1906-1909), A.P. Vernander (1907-1908), V.A. Sukhomlinov (1908-1909).
• General A. A. Gulevich, Head of the State Security Service Office (June 21, 1905 - October 9, 1908).

The CSO conducted a number of innovations in the army that contributed to the decentralization of control and subordination.

On June 21, 1905, a new “Regulation on the Chief of the General Staff” entered into force, according to which the General Staff , called the “General Directorate of the General Staff” (GUGG), was separated, following the example of Germany, into an independent body. By decree, the latter was directly subordinate to the king (in fact, he was removed from obedience to the military minister, and in practice he would be subordinate to the head of the SGO).

Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich secured the separation of the General Staff from the Military Ministry , and on June 25, 1905, the protégé of the Grand Duke, the former chief of his staff, General F. F. Palitsyn, was appointed head of the Main Department of the General Staff.

Also in a special position were inspectors of the armed forces (in fact - the grand dukes). They submitted directly to the tsar and, on a par with the minister of war, entered the SGO. As a result of these shuffles in the military administration, the military department was divided into 6 independent units:

• The General Directorate General Staff (GUGSH);
• Inspector General;
• military ministry ;
• military districts ;
• Higher Attestation Commission (at the OHS);
• Committee on the formation of troops.

All this as a whole increased the correspondence in the offices and slowed down the execution of orders.

From the memoirs of the leader of the Octobrists in the III State Duma , the chairman of the Duma Commission on State Defense (CLC), A. I. Guchkov :

... In 1905, extremely large changes were made in the top management of the army. The highest rescript of May 5, 1905 in the name of the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich formed the Permanent Council of State Defense; by the highest order of June 25, 1905, a special General Directorate of the General Staff was formed in the Ministry of War. These two institutions and divided the power of the Minister of War, weakened and impersonalized him. And next to them was created a network of new institutions ... ^[3]

October 6, 1907 - a group of generals wrote a memo addressed to Nicholas II about the dangers of CGO. ^[4] .

On May 27, 1908, at the general meeting of the III State Duma on military estimates, the chairman of the CLC, A. I. Guchkov, made a speech, which later became one of the most significant speeches in his political career. In it, he openly criticized the supreme military leadership of the country, noted the inhibitory function of the SSF and the irresponsibility of the grand dukes. The chairman of the Duma, N. A. Khomyakov, after this speech interrupted the meeting, and the head of the cadet faction, P. N. Milyukov, took it as a threat to the dissolution of the Duma. ^[five]

On July 26, 1908, the Highest Rescript addressed to the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich resigned from the position of the Chairman of the SGO. ^[6]

On November 11, 1908, a new regulation was issued on the Chief of the General Staff. On December 2, 1908, V. A. Sukhomlinov was appointed tsar instead of F. F. Palitsyn. Accepting the post of Chief of the Chief Administration of Civil Aviation, the latter insisted on his submission to the Minister of War, regarding the need for unity of command. From March 1909, V. A. Sukhomlinov became the Minister of War. ^[7]

The rest of the great princes were removed from work gradually:

• in November 1908, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, artillery inspector-general, was dismissed from his post;
• in December 1908, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, head of the military schools;
• in January 1909 - Grand Duke Pyotr Nikolayevich, inspector general of engineering troops.

Nevertheless, the curtailment of the activities of the CGO stretched over a year. In the first half of 1909, the CDF (under the formal leadership of Acting Chairman I. Dikov) held 12 more meetings. ^[eight]

There is also an opinion that the State Defense Council was liquidated by the summer of 1909 due to the fact that it did not agree with the plans of the emperor to build a fleet to the detriment of the army.

Having defeated the Council of State Defense, the sailors overcame the main opponent of the broad plans for naval construction, because the Council of Ministers was not going to oppose the tsar in this matter. ^[9]

In the years when the SSO dominated the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the terms of active service were reduced (in the infantry and field artillery from 5 to 3 years, in other branches of the military from 5 to 4 years, in the navy from 7 to 5 years); rejuvenated officers ; improved the life of soldiers and sailors (food and clothing allowance) and the financial situation of officers and supercons.

1. Avilov R.S. The problem of developing and implementing defense projects of the lower and mouth of the river. Cupid in 1906-1914 Part 1. Commission at the Special Meeting of the Council of State Defense. // Bulletin of Tomsk State University. - 2017. - No. 415. - p. 36-49. [one]
2. Avilov R.S. The problem of developing and implementing defense projects of the lower and mouth of the river. Cupid in 1906-1914 Part 2. Decisions of the Special Meeting at the OSS and the complexity of its implementation. / Bulletin of Tomsk State University. - 2017. - № 416. - p. 36-48. [2]
3. Kuzin V.V. Council of the State Defense (1908-1909). M., 1950.
4. Shatsillo K.F. From Portsmouth to the First World War. Generals and politics. M .: ROSSPEN, 2009. - 399 p.