CCI96I
MEMORANDUM FOR: The Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
MILITARY THOUGHT: "Certain Questions of the
Control of Troops in Moderny Major-Goneral A. Morozcv, Lieutoriant-General N. Lyaahchenko, and Lieutenant-Generalank Troops V. Arkhlpov
1. Enclosederbatim translation cf an article vhlch appeared In the TOP SECRET Special Collection of Articles of the Journal "Military Thought" ^Voyenaayaublished by the Ministry of Defense, USSR, and distributed d
dovn to the level of
Army Commander.
2. In the interests of protecting our source, this ceteris! should be handledeed-to-know basis within your office. Requests for extra copies of this report or for utilization of any pert of this docuaent In any other form should be addressed to the originating office.
FOR THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PLANS:
oIAj^-Wax^
richard helms
Enclosure
FOR RELEASE
02
Original: The Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
cc; Military Assistant to the President
Special AssiBtant to the Proeident for National Security Affairs
Director for Intelligence The Joint Staff
Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence Headquarters, U. S. Air Force
Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence Department of tbe Army
Director of Naval Intelligence Department of the Navy
Director, National Security Agency
The Director of Intelligence and Research Department of State
Director, Division of Intelligence Atonic Energy Commission
Chairmen, Oulded Missiles and Astronautics Intelligence Committee
Deputy Director for Intelligence
Assistant Director for National Estimates
Assistant Director for Current Intelligence
Assistant Director for Research and Reports
Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence
: USSR
BLlLITABY THOUGHT: "Certain Queationa of the
Control of Troops ln Moderny Major-General A. Morozov, Lleutenant-General N. Lyashchenko, and Lleutenant-General of Tank Troops V. Arkhlpov.
DATE OT(Prior to May)
APPRAISAL
OK CONTENT
reliable source (B) .
Followingerbatim translation of an article titled "Certain Questions of the Control of Troops ln Modern Operations" written by Major-General A. Morozov, Lleutenant-General N. Lyashchenko, and Lleutenant-General of Tank Troops V. Arkhlpov".
Thla article appeared in1 Second Issuepecial version of the Soviet military Journal Voyennaya Mysi (Military Thought). This Journal la published Irregularly and ia classified TOP SECRET by the Soviets. It Is distributed only vlthln the Ministry of Defense down to the level of Amy Commander.
ability to find the correct forma and methods of control that vould best answer the nature of the armed conflict and would fully conform to the situation. It is considered that the most favorable conditions for uninterrupted and firm control of troops was secured for the commander at the primary command post. However, despite all the positive ^qualities of this control organ, it was, and continuesbe, unwieldy,arge number of persons directly subordinate to the commander and having many channels in the work.
All this artificially complicated the coordinated /and exact work of all elements of the command post,burdened the commander's activities with secondary, and sometimes insufficiently coordinated, matters anddistracted him from thoughtful, well-rounded analysis of the constantly changing situation and making timely decisions. In some commanders this bred Indecision, lack of initiative, and the inability toourageous and correct decision quickly, basedhorough knowledge of tbe developing course of events.esult the commander was forced to resort to systematic briefing by all his commanders, in the course of which he became familiar with tho situation andecision.
A similar method of work by commanders and staffsot of time, and often troops did not have time to prepare for impending actions. If in the past this did not lead to appreciable results, then in modern conditions this practice has completely outlived Itself and canatal Influence on the course and outcomeattle and an operation.
In searching for more perfect forms and methods of control, wide dissemination was given to theractice of controlling troops by an operationalmall in composition and headedommander who guided the activities of the group in accordance with the given situation. The advantages of this method of control consisted of the fact that the exact and
coordinated activityell-trained and efficient operational group which, bosides the commander, hadart of the directing staff immediately connected with control, ensuring flexibility and operational efficiency in making quick decisions, and briefing the troops on their missionsimely manner, excluding the many stages and loss of time for various coordination. The fact that combat and operational documents were producedrief and clear form, without unnecessary details, warrants attention. Often battle orders and Instructions were written directly from the commander's words, then were graphically plotted on maps, and less often were put out in the form of written documents. The missions of the troops were given orally with subsequent written conf irmation.
v The operational group had high mobility and the ability to deploy and redeploy secretly. All these advantages became evidentlear and obvious form when controllog tank and motorized troops during the years of the past war, whose experiences can greatly influence the further improvement of forms and methods of troop control.
However, ve consider that tbe plain transfer of experience in the control of troops with the help of operational groups vill notolution of all the most Important problems that confront the organs of control in modern operations. Besides, it should be taken into consideration that often these operational groups replaced the staffhole, actually removed lt from the direction of combat operations. It seems to us that the principleN the commander carries out control over the troops personally and through his staffshould remain unchanged, and that the commander Is obligated to rely on his staff to an even greater degree.
vj The role of the staff, as the basic organ ofommander for ensuring firm and constant control of the troops, has grown significantly. In relation to
the staffs of the various arms of troops, lt Is the highest staff, and during the organization of coordinated work its directions must be received for strict execution.
esult of tbis the role of the chief of staff alsoe concentrates in his hands all the results of the many-sided and coordinated activity of the whole staff and must be ready /four or five wordsssential information To the commander, foruick, well-founded decision and to ensure that the troopa are informed of their missionsimely manner. All this will relieve the commander of the need to listenarge number of commanders and will immeasurably raise tbe role of the staff as the only operational organ headed by the chief of staff, who is, at the same time, the deputy commander.
It is apparent that the existing organization of the staff does not fulfill modern requirements, because of Its unwleldiness, its many channels, and lack of operational efficiency, and that it is In need of basic improvements. In order to avoid Improvisation, which can be observed now in exerolses, we proposeermanent (under combatrgan for direct managomont of troop combat operations be created on tne base of the field commandronthich wouldarmonious organizational structure. It would be limited in composition, flexible, mobile, and adequately operational. The basis of this organ has to be composed of part of the operational and intelligence directoratesf the combined-arms staff and the staffs of the arms of troops and types of armed forces. Such an organ, detached from the field command and called, for example, Jthe control center, can and should appear as thergan providing the commander with firm and constantmanagement of the combat activity of troops. At the front this organ will be the operational control center; In the armythe tactleal-operational control center, and in the divisionhe tactical control center.
la our opinion, the control center has to be created to fulfill the basic function ofonstant control of the troopsan operational functionunder the direst leadership of the chief of staff and to actually be the forward command post.
*"* The operational control center (at theto be composed of: the commander of frontmember of the Military Council, the chief ofoperational directorate of the staff,from the apparatus of the chief ofthe chief of missile troops and artillery, ofof PVO troops, and in some casesfrom the staff of the air army of thethe navylso the minimum numbernecessary to provide support,.
nucleus of the operational control center Is
made up of the operational unit of the staff of the
' front with the chief of staff at its head; its basic working apparatus is the operational and intelligence directorates. Besides, in all operational matters the apparatus of the chief of missile troops and artillery, the apparatus of the chief of PVO and the operational groups of the staff of the front air army and VMP, are subordinate to tbe chief of staff, as the first deputy to the commander
troops. The chief of operational control has to direct all practical, everyday, executive aspects of the work of the operational center, of control and supervision over its quality and timeliness.
The make-up of.the operational control center, he principle of its work, and coordination with theystem of various control points are shown on
The immediate work of the operational control center (at the front) is carried out, in our opinion,alled operational plotting board, understood tonified worn area of the command, officers, and generalswho represent the various departments, directorates, and operational groups. Maps (plottinghat continually show the situation in an easy-to-follow manner, ore located at this work area.
In the main, the organization of the vork of the operational control center on the operational plotting board appears to be as follows:
As shown on Diagramll situation Information goes to tha operational plotting board of the control center. Its location is the basic work area of the front troophe chief of staff, the chief of the operational directorate, the chlaf of intelligence, and, when necessary, the chiefs of the arms of troops and chiefs of the operational groups of the staff of the front air army and VHP.
^The operational plotting board is operated by the operational planning department of the operational directorate. The chief of the operational directorate and the chief of the department of operational planning are responsible for continuous operation of the operational plotting board. In our opinion, all the work la done on three maps: the map with information about the enemy, the general operational-situation map and the radiation situation map. Access of persons to the operational plotting board should be strictly limited.
It would be best toight prefabricated building to house the operational plotting board, where all the above-mentioned persons could work together and where there would be facilities to allow for concurrent work of the duty shift of plotting board operators. Specially adapted ataff busses, and in individual caaes even army supply directorate (USB) and standard medical (UST) tents, can be used for this purpose when necessary.
The special control points (operational unlta) of tbe chief of mlsalle troops and artillery, the chief of PVO, and the operational groups of the staff of the front air army and the VHP, and also other departments and groups included in thecomposition of the operational control center, are located close to the place where the operational plotting board is housed.
The remaining* personnel of the field command, who are rot part of the operational control center, will become part of the command post or rear area control Mpoint (TPU) , in accordance with the functions they fulfill. The interlocking of all three elements of the field commandcontrol center (the forward commandhe command post, and the rear area control pointmust fulfill the needsoncealed and dispersed deployment in the terrain, and should be provided with reliable internal communications that would permit the carrying on of onversations in the clear.
organizational structure of tho control centers
N tbat we propose gives us the opportunity to relieve the front troop commander (army commander and division commander) of the great loss of time needed to hear the situation reports, and will give him the opportunity to allot more attention to situation analysis and execute purposeful direction of troop combat activities.
organization ofontrol center also gives
V us the opportunity to eliminate the separation of collection, processing, and reporting of situation data about friendly troops, about tho enemy, and especially about the radiation situation, which is very important under modern conditions. All information will be concentrated in one place and is reported directly to the commander.
At the command post there has to be a'reserve operational plotting boardroup of plotting board operators, that would duplicate the plotting of the entire situation, in order to provide for the control of troops when the control center (PKP) is moved or in the event it is put out of action, to assume the control of troops.
On an analogous rear area operational plotting board must be entered all the rear area situation data, that is essential to making decisions concerning uninterrupted materiel-technical and medical support. The plotting of the missile rear area situation has to be done with extreme attention to. operational use.
In ourecessary condition forf work nt the control center has to be good technical equipment, especially with regard to means of communications and specially adapted staff transport. First of all, we have ln mind, the need to organize and maintain dependable communications with all sources (shown on, providing situation data to the operational center. Is this, special attention has to be given to the creation of separate communications channels for the command, for chiefs of troop directionsor the chief of missile troops and artillery (only in the channel to subordinate units and large units), the chief of PVO (in the channel of PVOhe chief of intelligence, and also special communications links with the general staff, with coordinating large units (formations) and with the staff of the front air army.
Just as Important is the internal voiceet, and also the television equipment which wouldree exchange of conversations within, as well as between, every control organ. umber of monitors (korrespondent) (who are relied on for this) must have the opportunity to determine that converaatlons on the Internal system aro in progress, by meanspecial indicatornd when necessary to monitor the conversation in parallel or participate ln
An important consideration is the need to transmit all reports to tbe operational plotting board, or the orders (commands) from the operational plotting board, via the.internal voice system, to the chiefs of directions or to control points of the chiefs of tbe arms of troops, by clear text. In turn, they both,ln communicating with the troops, must receiveransmit by means of encoding devices or cryptographic security (SUV) documents.
s. Such control centers already exist at the command posts of large units of PVO of the Country and In the staffs of fleets, and they fully Justify their existence. It seems to us that thereirect need to tost, duringimilar system of control in the ground troops.
Considering our special interest in fulfillment of staff operational functions, we consider tbat operational control, as the basic function of the apparatus of command and of the staff also has to undergo changes in its organization, that would fully reflect the nature of the work they perform.
is expedient to have the operational control
of the front staff composed as follows: chief of operational control and his deputy, the departments of operational planning,oersons, basically directionnformationadio countermeasure3ndoersons).
a*
The operational planning department, composed ofoersonsperations officers, one chemical, one engineer,uclear weapons specialists) prepares suggestions for making decisions regarding the use of front troops in an operation, and prepares the decisions of the front troop commander, in graphic or written form. During the course of combat operations, the officers of this department plot all the operational situation data oa the operational plotting board5 words missing reports to the command. They also maintain the radiation situation map, without which lt is difficult to determine the degree of safety of friendly troopa while they execute any maneuver on the battlefield, and take into account the average doses of radioactivity received by units and large units. The indicated composition of the department can ensure work at the control center in two shifts.
v Practice shows that the operational directorate has to solve many organizational problems in addition to tho operational ones, and has to utilize the working staff of the basic departments for this. This practice does not Justify itself. It seems to us that it is necessary toeconnoitering groupersons) in the newly organized organization department, for carrying out reconnoitering of control point areas
and tha placement and relocation of the latter. It should be assigned the duty for the area where the control points, units and subunits of support, servicing, and protection and also the organization of chemical and radiation detection are located; for this purpose lt would be expedient to give thepecial observation post, moreover, the organization department must have an administrative support groupersons) in charge of matters dealing with the organization of food and administrative outfitting of control points,roup to perform classified workerving the whole staff of the control center.
The total staff of the operational directorate will be aboutofficers, enlisted men, and employees.
The diagram of control centers and other views on various questions of troop control, and the organizational structure of the control organs that we propose, are not necessarily without fault. It would be desirable to have other opinions expressed on the respective questions, which will help to solve them correctly.
Major-Ceneral A. Morozov
*
Planning the use of nuclear weaponsront offensive operation le the principal question ln modern conditions, but it la solved by applying the old methods of planning to the new conditions.
Experience gained from the exercises carried out in the Turkestan Military District brought us to the following conclusion. esult of the fact that, at tha front, nuclear warheads and means of delivering them to the target are found under the subordination of various chiefs (the air army commander and the chief of missile troops andot of time is wasted by the troop commander when making the decision to use these weapons ln an operation for the coordination of the questions: with which weapons by whom, where and when must the strike be nade. Normally, upon receipt of the operational directive, tho chief of staff of the front Informed the commanders of arms of troops and the chiefs of directorates and services about the combat mission received and announced the preliminary decision of the front troop commander. After this the plana for using nuclear weapona were prepared simultaneously in the operational directorate, by the chief of missile troops and artillery and in the staff of the air army. Later these plans were coordinated by tbe chief of staff of the front; ln order to do this he listened to the views of the appropriate commanders, whichot of time. esult of the limited time, the problems of planning the use of nuclear woapons, recording the rate of use of nuclear weapons, and theIra'diatloo.ts-analysis did not achieve the requisite solution.
A conviction arose,esult of analysis, that the noed had arisenpecial organ attached to the troop commander and the chief of staff of the front, for planning the use of modern means of combat, because the content of the questions solved by the staff of tbe front and the amount of work do not correspond to the existingstructure and had exceeded its limits.
When preparing for the front commander-staff exercise that was carried out lnpecial group was created under the operational command of the staff of the front to plan the use of nuclear weapons and was composed of seven persons. The group was headed by the deputy
W
of tho operational directorate. It was composed of the senior officers of the operational directorate, the staff of the chief of missile troops and artillery, the air army staff, the chief of chemical troops, the engineer troopa staff, and the.front staff intelligence directorate.
The group was assigned the following four basic tasks: preparation of considerations concerning the use of nuclear weapons for the front command, control and recording of the receipt and rate of use of nuclear weapons, recording of the radiation situation, and organization of troop antlnuclear protection. Before the start of the exercise the volume and procedure of the work of the group and the functional duties of each officer were delineated. The chief of the group had to prepare and report to the chief of staff, or to the front troop commander, proposals for the most expedient use of nuclear weapons, and during an operation to summarize, analyze, and report allregarding the use of nuclear weapons by both sides, and In particular, the radiation situation in the areas of combat operations and in the rear area of friendly troops.
It was decided that during the exercise the group would be located at the front command post since,troops are controlled from there. However, experience showed that under the conditions of the Middle-Eastern (sredne-vdstochnyy) Theater of Military Operations, when the commander often leaves the command post during the operation, and directs the troops from the forward commandroup of this type has to be located with the front commander at the forward command post. One staff bus was allocated for the transportation and work of the group.
In the future, in our opinion, with the creation ofroup (department) it is necessary to take into consideration its ability to divide into two parts which have equal capacity for work, so that in case one part is put out of action the other can continue to fulfil the assigned mission.
When, during the exorcise, the directives of the Supreme High Command for an offensive operation- were
received, the group began ita basic work of planning the use of nuclear weapons. Based on the operational orientation given by the chief of staff of the front, which was attended by the group chief, the group was given its primary assignmentto plan in detail the use of nuclear weapons in the first strike and during the fulfillment of the immediate and follow-up missions by the front troops.
First of all it was determined that the front would havenits of nuclear ammunition available for the start of the operation, ready for use, includingront cruise missiles (krylatayatomic bombs. horough analysis of the situation It was determined that it was possible to use onlyf thenits for the first strike, because of theroop missiles,issiles were located in divisions deployed far from the State border, and their use in the operation would be possible only after these divisions were committed to combat. Then enemy targets were evaluated and it was determined that it would be necessary to neutralize and destroyargets with the first strike. However, using its own facilities the front could only carrytrike againstargets and usenits of nuclear ammunition. Theargets were located far in the rear, and strikes against them could be made more expediently by the means of the Supreme High Command.
After identifying the targets, the coordinates of the epicenter Of the explosion, the numbers, yields, types of Warheads and tho nature of the burst,hart was drawn up, showing the nuclear strikes to be carried out, with tentative determination of the results expected from the strikes.
In this way the group determined in detail the targets and the number of nuclear warheads for each target in tbe first strike for fulfilling the immediate and follow-up missions, and also those held in reserve by the front troop commander. All this work was coordinated with the chief of missile troops and artillery and the air army
commander. The front chief of staff and the front troop commander were forwarded the proposal for the use of nuclear warheads, which became the basic plan for the use of nuclear weapons.
A separate plan for the use of nuclear weapons was not prepared; everything; was represented graphically on the plan of the operation, including the targets of the strikes, the yield of the charge, the type of burst, the time of the strikes, and alternate targets were also shown there. The ratio of forces in regard to warheads and means of delivery, and the distribution of nuclear weapons by missions were set out in tables on the map. Unified signals were established to carry out the nuclear strikes and were brought to the attention of the missile units and aviation. Combat orders for antinuclear protection of troops and installations were developed and were coordinated with the chief of chemical troops, chief of the rear, and the staff of the air army. During the planning period of the operation, the groupap showing all the targets slated for neutralization and destruction by nuclear weapons, and the location of friendly troops and roar area Installations; later nuclear strikes of both sides and the radiation situation were entered on the map. In this way the first stage of the group's work in planning the use of nuclear weapons ended.
During the combat operations, the group was busy identifying enemy targets, and when the troop commander made the decision, they planned the strikes against them, took into consideration the receipt and rate of use of nuclear weapons, and also kept track of the radiation situation, especially ln cases of surface bursts. The results of the enemy strikes were analyzed and conclusions were drawn concerning the radiation situation and the possibilities for friendly troops to operate. Through the staff of the chief of missile troops and artillery and the air army staff the group kept track of the delivery of nuclear strikes and plotted them on the map; the dispositions of the troops were also plotted on the same map.
The group received Information about the eneay through an intelligence officer of the intelligence directorate, from troop reports, and from air army staff reports. Based on this Information, targets that had to be destroyed or neutralized by nuclear moans were identified and evaluated. Conclusions were reported to the chief of tha operational directorate and, more often, to the chief of staff of the front, after which the troop commanderecision and assigned the mission of carrying out the strikeo the chief of missile troopa and artillery or to the commander of the air army by word of mouth or in writing; in the latter case the orders were prepared by the group.
While working out the proposals to use nuclear weapons the group was in constant contact with the directorate of artillery armament, the air army staff and tbe front rear area staff, and was Informed about the receipt and readiness of nuclear weapons and the provision of the missiles with special fuel. An officer from the chief of missile troopa and artillery supervised the deployment of combat formations of missile units and officer-pilot supervised the basing of delivery aircraft; all this information was also plotted on the map.
During the exercise the group tried to keep track of losses inflicted on friendly troops by enemy strikes, but did not fulfill this task because It did not get the necessary summarized data from the troops. They come to the conclusion that the groups can give the losses only for separate strikes and for individual large units, and tbat tbe organizational and operations directorates should have the information about general lossesesult of nuclear weapons as well as from other means of destruction.
During the exercise the special group did not have selector communications (selektornaya svyaz) with the other directorates of the front staff. This should be oonsldered to be an abnormal situation. Experience gained from the exercise showed that the group must bavo
Much communications with the Intelligence directorate, the combined command post of aviation and PVO, and also vith the troop commander aod chief of the front ln order that all the Information about the enemy that reaches the intelligence directorate and the combined command post be transmitted immediately to the special group and be quickly plotted on the map and reported to the chief of staff and the commander.
As shorn by the experience gained from the exercise, lt is essential toap-screen (karta-ekran) on which all the enemy targets" slated for neutralization or destruction are plotted. This will greatly simplify the work of the front troop commanderecision about the carrying out of nuclear strikes.
It should beault that officersrepresentatives of staffs and directorateswere not part of the operations directorate and were constantly overloaded with work in their staffs and directorates which reflected negatively on the work of the group.
Becauseroup was organized for the first timeistrict, many questions had to be resolved by feel, but during the exercise itig role and rendered considerable help to the front command ln the timely and purposeful planning of the use of nuclear weapons. In many ways it simplified the work of coordinating strikes between aviation and missile units. At the critique of the exercise, the district troop commander pointed out that the grouparge, useful task and that in the future lt Is necessary to create similar groups.
The group was created under the operations directorate of the front staff, but during the exercise it worked under the direct management of the front chief of ataff and front troop commander and provided them withbecause in the final analysis, the decision to use nuclear means is made only by the troop commander. In addition /one line misslng7 did not fulfill the missions assigned To it.
In connection with this, the conclusion arises that there shouldimilar permanent element directly subordinate to the chief of staff of the front who would work in close contact with the operations directorate. The staff oflanning organ must be part ofnd be prepared in advance.
In our opinion it ia necessary even during peacetime to have in the staff of the military district and directly subordinate to the district chief ofpecial department of modern means of combat and troop protection from weapons of mass destruction subordinate directly to tho district chief of staff; Tn peacetime this department has to train the lower staffs in matters of planning the use of nuclear means, develop measures for and manage the protection of the troops from the means of mass destruction. In wartimeepartment has to.be expandedpecial directorate headed by the deputy chief of staff of the front. It should concern Itself with planning the use of new means of combat and measures for protecting troops from weapons of mass destruction.
Lt. General N. Lyashchenko
* *
We consider it necessary toeries of gsuggestions for the improvement of organizational structure of modern staffs, their equipping, and methods of work.
The existing organs of control, as was already mentioned'In our press, do not fully conform to modern conditions; they are too cumbersome, have little mobility and their means of movement do not have adequate cross-country ability over the terrain. It is enough to point out that the staff and command of the army have upersons in their composition and uparious motor vehicles, the staff and directorateivisionupersons and morearious motor vehicles. These staffs are tied to the roads and bridges; it is difficult to moveot of time is required for their deployment and redeployment, especially of army staffs. When,during offensive operations, tanks and motorized-rifle divisions movepeed0 km per day, the staffs lag behind the troops.
It is also known that under conditions of mass use of nuclear/missile weapons the commander's decision has to be made, relayed to the executors, and carried outery short period of time, In many cases calculated in minutes or even seconds. Great command mobility is necessary for tho successful control ofeapons. It is possible to have missiles with nuclear charges, tank, and airborne troops and not attain success because of tardiness in the combat use of these means.
It is necessary to review the organization structure of the staffs and sharply reduce the number of personnel and the means of transport In them. Success in the control of troops during modern operations will depend not on the number of generals and officers in the staff, but on the quality of their training, experience, the coordination and operational efficiency of the work, and also on the
technical equipment of tho staffs. The control methods, by small operational groups, used In the tank troops during World War II, can be wholly and fully utilized even under modern conditions. The staffs and directorates of these large units and formations moved up in tanks or motor vehicles with radio sets, were noted for their high mobility and were trained and adapted for troop control in mobile types of combat operations.
In our opinion, instead of an array staff and staffs of the commanders of arms of trooope and services, it is necessary toingle staff for field commandf an army with the chief of staff of the fleld command" as head; at the same time he would also be the first deputy army commander. Organizationally the army field command must contain:
the army command;
chief of staff of the field command;
department of operational and combat management of troops in operations and in battle;
chiefs of arms of troops and services and their departments;
the Party-political apparatus;
army deputy commander for the rear area and control organs for the rear area.
The staff of the army field command must have the necessary combat and technical equipment supply units and subunits subordinate to it.
In our opinion, the army field command, from the operational-tactical standpoint must be dividedorward ommand post (PEP)ear command post (TKP) .
The PEP can be composed approximately as follows:
commander;
member of the Military Council;
chief of staff of the army field command;
a group of officers from the operations, intelligence, and communications departments;
chief of missile troops and artilleryroup of officers;
chief of engineer troopsroup of officers;
chief of chemical troopsroup of officers;
chief of the PVOroup of officers;
deputy commander of the rear arearoup of officers;
a group of officers, sergeants, and soldiers for combat security and guard duty.
In' our opinion the PEP of the army must have altogetherenerals and officers,ooldiers and sergeants, six tanks4 and three5 armored personnel carriers, irplanes or helicopters, and also the necessary means of communications, radio sets, radar sets and television sets mounted in tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and airplanes.
The army rear command post will ensure, on orders from the army commander, the supply of technical equipment to the troops and, at the same time, will be tho reserve control point ln case the PKP of the army is put ont of commission. It is headed by one of the army deputy commanders and can be composed approximately as follows:
deputy army commander;
deputy chief of the army political department;
first deputy chief of the army field command staff;
deputy chief of the rear /one or two words missing?;
a group of officers from the operations, intelligence, chemical, engineering, political, PVO, and communications departments, and the department of the chief of missile troops and artillery;
rear area officers, specialists in artillery, tank armament, motor vehicles and tractors, quartermaster, and fuel and lubricant (GSM) supply.
Directly subordinate to the army rear area command post will be:
reserve commands for divisions and regiments;
troop units and subunits for the elimination of the effects of enemy nuclear attacks and antinuclear and antichemlcal protection;
depots and portable repair plants.
The advantage of this organizational structure of the army field command is, in our opinion, that all departments of the presently existing staff, and also the chiefs of arms of troops and services, will be directly subordinate to the chief of staff of the field command, since he is the first deputy commander. This will make it possible to concentrate all planning of an operation (battle) and the control over all forces and weapons in an operation andattle, in the hands of one person.
In the division command there should be, in our opinion, oenerals and officers, amongivisional commander, chief of staff of the division command, chiefs of arms of troops and services, and the Party-political apparatus. Analogously we propose that the array unit sub-divide the division commandorward command post (PKP)ear command post (TKP) .
The division PKP shouldediumightrmored personnel carriers and an air
.
flight (zvono) relicopters) .
The creation of PEP and TXP as part of the amy field command and division command increases, in our opinion, the combat readiness of the staffs, the mobility of command posts and their viability.
The existing cumbersome staffs revealthe presencearge number of antennas,busses and motor vehicles with high
Besides, these vehicles are easily shot up with automatic weapon fire, and are pierced by mine and shell fragments. Under these circumstances lt is difficult to camouflage the staffs and reliably ensure their viability. During combat operations in separata directions, in the presence of gaps and breaks in combat formations,izeable separation of Individual units and large units from the main forces, the staffs can be destroyed not only by nuclear weapons and aircraft, but also are subject to tank and infantry attacks, Including enemy diversionary groups.
For this very reason the control points which we propose should be ln tanksrmorod poraonnel carriers, and armored staff cars,eault of which they will have cross-country ability to go anywhere, maneuverability, be small in number, have high viability, and will not stand out from the other tank and armored personnel carrier subunits. The presence of airplanes and helicopters In the control points will make them even more mobile and maneuver able.
In line with the change ln the organization of the staffs, it is necessary to review the methods of planning operations and combat actions, and also the manner of troop management during the operation. In our opinion the plan of combat and operation under conditionsuclear/missile war has to consist of short combat documents. The absence of lengthy operational pauses, during which the planning and preparation for approaching operations was previously carried out, will probably make it necessary to carry out all planning during combat operations. Under those conditions there will not be time to prepare voluminous documents.
la our oplnioa tbe plan for an operation aad battle baa to indlcato tbe goal of the operationhich enemy grouping will be destroyed by nuclear weapons, which targets or territories are to be taken by combined-arms large units and units, the depth of the alsslon, the direction of theinly of the airborne and tankhe time for fulfilling the mission, and also the questions of supply of material-technical equipment and control of the troops. All this should be noted on
maps.
As soon as we abandon bulky operational plans and other operational documents, and superfluous military bureaucracy, cumbersome staffs will not be needed and there will be more operations and real management of the
troops.
Everyone knows that the generals and officers of modern staffs and directorates of armies and divisions waste two^thirds of their time processing various types of documents tbat often are not needed for their work, and only one-third of their time is used for the direct control of troops, which is also done bymall group, and not by the overwhelming number of staff generals and officers. To abolish decisively the unnecessary paperwork that hasimes during the postwar period means the releasearge number of officers for specific control of troops In combat and operations. It would be more useful to employ the released generals and officers for the creation of reserve PKP and TSP which can be used in case the basic control points are put out of commission.
The organizational structure of large units, and units exerts great influence on the firm control of troops.
In our opinion the modern organization of an army, motorized-rifle division, and tank division do not conform to the conditions of modern missile/nuclear war. They are cumbersome, have little mobility, inadequate maneuverability and are difficult to control during combat and battle. This organization has had its day and has become obsolete, the same as tbe organization of modern staffs.
tarn
Without going into detail, we propose to switch to the brigade principle of structure for the comblnod-arms formations. Modern ground troops, lt seems to us, have to be composed of missile divisions and brigades, of tank, mechanized, and airborne brigades.
The army (possibly, it is better to call it the mobile combatPG) is not constant in its composition. Its composition depends on the combat task-to be fulfilled, tbe depth and width of the offensive zone, nuclear weapon support, and other conditions.
In the makeup of the army (BPG) it is necessary to haveank or mechanized brigades (in anyissile brigade, two airbornengineerhemical troopedical battalionsear services brigade,eserve brigade. For combat security the army (BPG) has to have an aerial reconnaissance regiment, an armored reconnaissance regiment, reconnaissance8 words mlsslng7. Besides, it mayissile brigades, an air division ofiver-crossing brigade,hemical protection brigade as reinforcements.
The tank brigade must consist ofank battalions,attalion of organic missiles (voyskovaya raketa). rigade may have upanks,ercent of them light;echanized brigadeechanized battalions,ank battalions,attalion of organic missiles.
All army rear services elements should be combinedear services brigade, and the rear services of tank (mechanized)ear services battalion. The rear services have to be deployed on tracked or other vehicles with high cross-country ability. Helicopters have to play the principal role in tbe supply of nuclear weapons, for which the army has toegiment ofnd aboutelicoptersrigade.
Original document.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: