The Advent of the Russian Special Operations Command

Abstract

For what purpose did Russia establish its Special Operations Command? This monograph explores why the Russians established a Special Operations Command (KSO) with its own Special Operations Forces (SSO) distinct from other special operations elements such as Spetsnaz. After the Georgian War in 2008, the Russian perception of threats within the context of their domestic politics, economic limitations and demography led them to enact a campaign of military reform. Conventional forces became more capable by focusing on operational mobility, combined arms enablers, and reconnaissance. Concurrently, Russian SSO improved on Russia's historical experience with special operations by creating a force accountable to its national command authority and capable of operating independently, covertly or in support of conventional operations, as in Ukraine in 2014. Though improving Russia's indirect approach beyond its borders appears to be central to the creation of the KSO, other aspects also matter: emulation of the West, the need for an economy of force, a complement to conventional operations, and internal domestic competition among security services.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 23, 2019
Accession Number
AD1083710

Entities

People

  • Bret P. Woellner

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Gray Zone
  • Hybrid Warfare
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Reconnaissance
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.