Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy

Foundation

The Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy was established in 2008 as a result of merging the two Russian Air Force academies: Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy (Russian: Военно-воздушная инженерная академия имени профессора Н.Е. Жуковского) and Gagarin Air Force Academy (Russian: Военно-воздушная академия имени профессора Н.Е. Жуковского и Ю.А. Гагарина). [1]

Both academies had multi-year history (90 and 70-year respectively) of excellence in the aerospace education and research. Gagarin Air Force Academy specialized in preparing high-ranking commanding officers, while Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy focused on engineering education in all fields of aviation.

For the new academy, the number of military and civilian personnel was limited by 4,614. Both academies kept their respective campuses: Zhukovsky Academy in Moscow and Gagarin Academy in Monino (38 kilometers (24 mi) east of Moscow). However, it was envisioned that Zhukovsky Academy would relocate to Monino by the end of 2011.

In 2008-2009, when the Ministry of Defence continued the process of consolidation of its training and research institutions, six other military schools were named affiliated (separate organizational units) entities and later subsidiaries of the academy:

The total number of employees (military and civilian personnel) of the academy (with subsidiaries) was set at 37,481 people.[2]

The academy offered programs in a variety of fields:

Planned merger

Order of the Russian Minister of Defence on July 12, 2011 N 1136 has seriously changed the direction of reforming the academy. It directed to transfer within 45 days (until September 1, 2011), "the preparation of students from the Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy (Moscow and Monino) to the Military Aviation Engineering University (ru:Военный авиационный инженерный университет) ” located in Voronezh. [3]

The same order liquidated subsidiaries of the academy in the cities of Yeysk (Krasnodar Krai), Saint Petersburg and Chelyabinsk. Order was signed by the Minister of Defence, Anatoliy Serdyukov, the appendix to the order - by the head of the Education Department of the Ministry of Defence, Elena G. Priezzheva.

De jure, the order has not eliminated Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy. However, it happened de facto, since the educational activities were the main purpose of the academy [4], and the transfer of preparation of students to the Military Aviation Engineering University (Voronezh) in practice meant an end to the existence of the Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy.

The vast majority of the Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy faculty did not move to Voronezh. More than fifteen hundred people were laid off in Monino. Order of the Ministry of Defence has caused fierce criticism from the scientific and pedagogical community of the academy. Exponent of this position is the head of the working group of the Academic Council of the academy Ivan Naidenov (Lieutenant General of aviation, retired, a former deputy chief of the Gagarin Academy for Education and Science, Doctor of Military Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of Russia, and earlier - Head of the Russian Air Force Research Center for the Command and Control Systems (ru:Научно-исследовательский центр систем управления ВВС) a part of the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute, Ministry of Defence (Russia).

The need for reorganization of the Russian Air Force research and educational institutions has been realized at all levels of military establishment since the late 1980s. Options discussed included the reorganization and different forms of association of Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and Gagarin Air Force Academy, and sometimes 30th Central Scientific Research Institute. The criteria for the effectiveness of the reforms were not only the reductions in personnel and budget, but also sustainment of the scientific and pedagogical potential of research and educational institutions. According to Ivan Naidenov, the reform of 2011 resulted in almost complete loss of the Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy potential, and restoration of the lost positions in the Military Aviation Engineering University (Voronezh) will take at least 10 – 15 years.

At the end of September 2011, when implementation of the Defence Ministry Order N 1136 was in full swing (academy equipment was transported to Voronezh, employees at the academy in Monino were laid off), Government Resolution of September 27, 2011 № 1639-r was issued. [5] This resolution ordered the creation of Federal State Governmental military educational institution of higher education Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy of the Defense Ministry "by changing the type of the existing" federal state of military educational institutions of higher education Zhukovsky – Gagarin Air Force Academy, while maintaining its main purpose of activity and total number of full-time employees. Moscow and Monino were assigned as the locations of the academy. At the time of this writing (February 2012), reliable sources of information on the implementation of the RF Government Resolution on September 27, 2011 № 1639-r were not available. This decree, while designating it as a Military Educational and Scientific Centre, ended the planned merger between the two institutions, saving the academy for good.