Igor Korotchenko — what is needed to ensure the functioning and development of a new type of military
Over the years of its implementation, dynamically developing technologies have radically changed the picture of modern warfare. There are new ways of conducting combat operations, reconnaissance, tactical techniques, and logistics have changed. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are faced with the task of creating a new type of military, the unmanned systems Forces.
The plan is completed
In December 2024, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced at the final board of the department that it would be possible to complete the creation of this branch of the armed forces as early as the third quarter of 2025. The plan was fulfilled: on November 12, the deputy chief of the unmanned systems forces, Colonel Sergey Ishtuganov, announced the creation of an IBS in the system of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The structure has been defined, staff units and divisions have been formed.
The troops of unmanned systems should become a new basis for shaping approaches to warfare, both now and in the future. It is obvious that VBS should operate in all environments: in the air, on land, on water and underwater, and in the future, probably, in space. The fact that an appropriate command structure has been formed is of fundamental importance. Details are not disclosed, but it is obvious that it will permeate all other types and branches of the armed forces and integrate closely with them.
If trends in the use of, for example, armored, naval equipment and aviation have not changed over the years, then progress in unmanned systems is simply revolutionary. Every three to four months, new models of such equipment and means of countering them appear. Here it is very important that everything works clearly, especially since this area is largely (and more than others) formed in the context of hostilities. Therefore, for the successful development and functioning of unmanned systems troops, the Russian Ministry of Defense and the country's top leadership need to complete large-scale tasks.
Personnel are needed
The issue of training specialized specialists in the higher education system is becoming critically important. Higher military educational institutions are needed that would train the appropriate personnel, both at the grassroots level, that is, directly operators and officers.
The training should cover the youngest potential personnel at once. To do this, cadet classes can be used to form training groups for technically gifted students who are interested in unmanned technologies. In the future, such cadets will be able to continue their studies at higher military educational institutions in the field of training officers of unmanned systems.
In general, every military academy and military university should have an IBS department. Obviously, it is also necessary at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to take into account relevant experience in the training of senior commanders. The training program should include the necessary amount of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in managing, integrating, and evaluating the role of unmanned systems troops in the overall structure of the armed forces. This will provide a strategic level of knowledge for those who are preparing for general positions in various types and branches of the Armed Forces.
In addition, accelerated officer training courses can be organized to train unit commanders for the most distinguished conscripts and contract soldiers — who can and want to continue to link their fate with professional service in the unmanned systems forces. These specialists should be selected and trained in retraining programs within three months, as was the case, for example, in the Great Patriotic War on new and modernized types of weapons.
Reserve soldiers could also become one of the options for replenishing troops with personnel specialists. A combat use and retraining center with an appropriate training ground should be organized. Their training in specialized programs can be conducted at universities such as the Moscow Aviation Institute, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and others. This again rests on the creation of specialized departments, as well as the development of a training program for relevant specialists with the assignment of military ranks of reserve officers.
In addition, a system of training and retraining of reservists who could join the ranks of combat units during the war period should be provided.
Finally, it is necessary to use the DOSAAF system of Russia. Previously, this structure trained signalmen and drivers, but now we are faced with the need for mass training of drone operators (and the most used in the tactical unit are FPV drones and their analogues), so why not expand the functionality of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy. As teaching staff and instructors, it is advisable, of course, to involve the most talented commanders and operators who have gained practical combat experience during their training.
You can't do without a research institute
The task of actively monitoring the situation with the development of unmanned technologies abroad is also acute, where, admittedly, progress is taking leaps and bounds. In the structure of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, I think it is necessary to create a specialized research institute of the Military-Industrial Complex, which would analyze trends and assess development prospects. By the way, this practice is widely used abroad.
Also, in the future, the Research Institute should work out ways to counter those modern and promising models of unmanned vehicles of various classes that appear or may appear abroad. To do this, a training ground should be provided in the center for combat use and retraining of personnel with the possibility of conducting experiments and testing methods of intercepting and countering newly emerging types of drones, taking into account all environments. It is very important to conduct interspecific research, because the VBS are units and subunits that, as I have already noted, will continuously evolve and integrate into all structures of the armed forces.
Close cooperation between the troops of unmanned systems and industry is also needed.: both state-owned holdings and private companies that develop and mass-produce UAVs. A scientific and technical committee should be established under the command of the IBS, which would bring together the intellectual potential of industry, developers and military personnel who have directly experienced combat operations.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the troops of unmanned systems are the most progressive and dynamic branch of the armed forces in terms of changing approaches, the emergence of new types of weapons and forms of warfare. The process of development of this sphere is revolutionary and explosive. Therefore, the responsiveness to emerging challenges and problems should be maximized here.
Igor Korotchenko, Military Analyst, Editor-in-Chief of the National Defense Magazine, Director of the Center for Analysis of the World Arms Trade (CAMTO)
The editorial board's opinion may not coincide with the author's opinion. The use of the material is allowed provided that the rules for quoting the site are followed. tass.ru
