The Russian Way of Warfare
Abstract
This Perspective is intended to serve as a primer that outlines in general terms how the Russian military would conduct combat operations in the event of a high-intensity conflict with a capable peer or near-peer adversary. The discussion here blends how Russian theorists and leaders have written about modern warfare with demonstrated Russian capabilities and history. Russia has shown the ability to tailor its combat operations to specific operational and strategic requirements. The Russian military does not have one standard way of conducting operations; rather, Russia likely has developed a series of contingencies for strategic planning, based on several variables like correlation of forces, military potential of opposing forces, strategic geopolitical context, escalation potential, and others. An accurate understanding of Russias way of warfare is important for several reasons. Russia has in recent years carried out substantial reforms to its military forces, which have increased capability in several key areas. Russias military has improved to the extent that it is now a reliable instrument of national power that can be used in a limited context to achieve vital national interests. Russias capability has not improved to the extent that Russian leadership would use it against a near-peer adversary in the absence of a clear external threat to the survival of the Russian state. However, these new capabilities provide Russian leadership with more options to assert its positions and support national interests and are worth examining simply to better understand how Russia would fight.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1053211
Entities
People
- Dara Massicot
- Scott Boston
Organizations
- RAND Corporation