Education and Training

The educational level of the Mongolian armed forces compared favorably with that of the armed forces in most other countries. All officer and enlisted personnel in the mid-1980s had at least a secondary education, and many had received a specialized civilian education. Most officers were educated in the academies and schools of the Military Institute, an outgrowth of the Sukhe Bator Military Academy of the 1930s. Among those who were offered direct commissions were some discharged enlisted personnel with secondary or higher education, whose enlisted performance was exemplary, and civilians up to thirty-five years of age who had expertise useful to the military. Many officers received higher education and high-level training in the Soviet Union.

In the late 1980s, arms training at individual, small unit, and combined arms levels was supervised by Soviet instructors and advisers, or by Mongolian army instructors thoroughly trained in Soviet army courses. The training met Soviet military standards, and it was conducted under both winter and summer conditions. Discharged enlisted personnel with up to two years of active military service received two months of reserve training every two years. Those who had more than two years of active military service received up to two months of reserve training every three years. Officers who registered in the reserves after completing their active duty, no matter what the source of their commission, received up to three months of reserve training every two years. Soldiers received a thorough political indoctrination. The technical training required for their military specialty was related constantly to civilian needs after military service. Soldiers trained as tank drivers could apply these skills in civilian life as tractor drivers, and soldiers trained as truck drivers in the army could be used as civilian drivers. The army also trained printers and tailors, as well as specialists in agriculture and animal husbandry.

In the mid-1980s, the Mongolian armed forces instituted major improvements in the content and methodology of staff, logistical, and field military training. Tactical training grounds, firing ranges, tank training grounds, and airfields were mechanized and automated. Field and training exercises included good-quality live firings, rocket launches, and operational training flights.