A new book sheds light on the organisation of Russian land forces’ command and control, and the digital battle management systems they employ at operational and tactical levels.
Armada was delighted to receive a review copy of the Lightning Press’ latest volume examining the Russian military. OpFor Smartbook-3: Russian Military Forces, Operations and Tactics is a comprehensive work examining Russia’s armed forces in their entirety. The work also discusses Moscow’s strategic goals and foreign policy preoccupations. As noted in another recent article, the book provides an excellent overview of the Russian military’s Electronic Warfare (EW) posture. Equally useful is the volume’s analysis of Russian land forces Command and Control (C2). Russian land manoeuvre force C2 can be shrouded in conjecture and contradiction. Norman Wade, the Lightning Press’ publisher and the book’s author, does great work demystifying this aspect of land manoeuvre force posture and organisation.
YESU-TZ
The strategic echelons of Russia’s joint high command use the ЙЕСУ-ТЗ (YESU-TZ – Unified Command and Control System for Troops and Weapons) digital C2 architecture. As Mr. Wade notes, YESU-TZ is vital for turning the political intentions of Russian’s civilian leadership into military objectives. YESU-TZ receives and processes data sent by subordinate echelons, and disseminates information, orders and situation reports. It appears YESU-TZ performs C2 from the National Defence Command Centre in Moscow through to Russia’s constituent Military Districts (MDs). Russia’s military is spread across five MDs; Moscow and St. Petersburg in the north and west of the country, plus the Central, Southern and Eastern Military Districts. Land forces in each MD are typically organised into Combined Arms Armies (CAAs). CAAs are operational-level formations consolidating Russian Army manoeuvre forces in that MD with other land manoeuvre elements like Russia’s airborne forces and naval infantry, both of which function as separate forces. For all intents and purposes, YESU-TZ also provides operational level C2 for the CAAs.
Tactical manoeuvre force C2
The principle tactical manoeuvre unit in the Russian Army is the motorised rifle/tank division/brigade. As Mr. Wade notes other C2 systems are used, at the brigade/division level. He writes that the Акация-М (Akatsiya-M) C2 architecture is employed for logistics, general force organisation and battle management. Akatsiya-M terminals can be installed on vehicles or used at deployed bases. Russia’s airborne forces have the Андромеда-Д (Andromeda-D) C2 system. Andromeda-D “provides a near real-time plot of the battlefield situation to coordinate the actions of airborne forces,” says Mr. Wade. He adds that Andromeda-D capabilities are like those of the Стрелец (Strelets) C2 system used by Russian Army dismounted infantry.
Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) employs the Акация-Э (Akatsiya-E) C2 system. Akatsiya-E is used for operational and tactical air battle management. To this end, Akatsiya-E will link directly with tactical GBAD C2 systems like the 73Н6МЭ Байкал-1МЭ (73N6ME Baikal-1ME), Универсал-1Е (Universal-1E), Фундамент-1Э (Fundament-1E) and Поляна-Д4М1 (Polyana-D4M1). These latter systems are tactically deployed to provide C2 to individual GBAD surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery batteries. By integrating these disparate systems, Akatsiya-E provides a consolidated recognised air picture.
Artillery units make use of the 1В168 АСУНО-С (1V168 ASUNO-S) tactical C2 system. The author writes that the 1V168 ASUNO-S has an integral Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) terminal. The terminal automatically registers the position of firing platforms under command. Digital maps provide local topographic information. Target data is downloaded automatically in near real time by the 1V168 ASUNO-S with firing solutions calculated as rapidly. Mr. Wade writes that a BM-20 Smerch 300mm multiple rocket launch system can fire a 40-second volley of rockets against targets 90-kilometres (56-miles) away two minutes after receiving target data from the 1V168 ASUNO-S. Last but not least, Russian land forces EW employ use the РБ-109 Былина (RB-109 Bylina) tactical C2 system.
Assessment
The adoption of digital C2 systems by Russia’s land forces reflects the acknowledgement of the country’s military that the automation of battle management is essential for contemporary and future conflicts. Mr. Wade argues that the adoption of the systems discussed above helps increase “the stability, continuity, speed and security of (C2) actions.” Digital C2 enhances the commander’s “ability to quickly assess the battlefield situation, supports rapid decision-making and transmits those decisions to units and subunits.” Above all, these C2 systems help deepen combined arms operational and tactical coordination. By doing so, Russia’s military writ large hopes to accelerate the pace at which it can navigate the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop with better quality decision-making than its adversary. Achieving this ambition, as Mr. Wade stresses, can mean the difference between success and failure on the battlefield.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
