Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia

Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Военная академия Генерального штаба Вооружённых сил Российской Федерации
Emblem of the Academy
Type	Military college
Established	1936
Founder	Red Army
Director	Vladimir Zarudnitsky
Address	Vernadskogo Prospekt 100, Moscow , Moscow , Russia 55°38′59.28″N 37°28′26.37″E / 55.6498000°N 37.4739917°E / 55.6498000; 37.4739917
Website	http://vagsh.mil.ru/

The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Russian: Военная академия Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации) is the senior staff college of the Russian Armed Forces.

The academy is located in Moscow, on 14 Kholzunova Lane. It was founded in 1936 as a Soviet institution, based on higher command courses that had been established at the M. V. Frunze Military Academy, itself founded in 1918. An earlier General Staff Academy had existed during the Imperial period, since 1832.

Students were, and probably still are, admitted to the Academy in the ranks of lieutenant colonel, colonel, and General-Major (one star). Most were colonels or newly promoted generals. Officers enter in their late 30s, as a general rule. Officers selected for this academy would have first attended the appropriate service or branch academy (see Military academies in Russia). Graduates who were not already generals or admirals usually were promoted to this rank a short time after completing the course. Length of the academy was only two years, in contrast to the three years for the branch and service academies.

Faculty and students of the General Staff Academy were involved in debates over Soviet military restructuring in the last years of the USSR. They became associated with the military reform efforts of Major Vladimir Lopatin and made specific suggestions for deep force reductions.^[1]

As of 22 November 2017, Colonel General Vladimir Zarudnitsky has been the chief of the academy.