Russian Military Performance

Every day the news tells us how terribly the Russians are doing, and how well the Ukrainians are defending their country.  And every day, the map shows the Russians advancing further and further into Ukraine. They now control over a third of Ukraine, and have surrounded the cream of the Ukrainian army. 

Yes, the action around the major cities is relatively slow. Sieges are like that. Sieges are how you keep from pissing your army away in pointless urban assaults. (Please note that with remarkably few exceptions, cities do not grow food, and have vast numbers of bellies to feed. Also note that the Russians have not yet turned off the lights or shut down the water and sewage plants.)

How to understand the lackluster performance of the Russian Army in Ukraine:

The Russian Army has all the flaws of the Soviet system with none of the strengths. They still have the two year, 6 month cycle conscription system, in which raw recruits go straight to their units, which teach their own version of basic training plus individual job training every six months. They then hold a regimental level field exercise at the end of each cycle to put everything together. Once a year the regiments get together to conduct a division level exercise. So, at any give time, at least one quarter of the troops in an average unit have *no idea* what they’re doing.

And it’s only that good in units where the commander doesn’t routinely rent out the conscripts as day laborers.

Their "elite" units, staffed with volunteers, are generally better trained and equipped, in that there is real training and most of the equipment will probably work right. Sort of like our military, but without an NCO corps and with a tiny budget.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of a healthy, robust NCO corps to modern military operations.  (Officers plan, NCOs do.)  That is what really separates the Western militaries from the second tier nations.

Example:  A couple decades ago, the US Army sent an airborne company (SETAF) to a demonstration in Kakakhstan.  All the former Soviet states attended likewise.  (For the purpose of brevity, these will be referred to as [Soviets].)    Grandstands were erected atop a small rise so the generals and officials could observe the festivities.  Each nation dropped their company of paratroopers onto their portion of the field.  They then assembled, moved to the starting line, advanced one kilometer to an objective, which they then assaulted.  

The US unit dropped last, but had taken the objective, reconsolidated, and was requesting further orders before the next fastest unit had finished assembling at the starting line.

This, needless to say, greatly impressed the [Soviet] generals, who asked to meet the officers commanding the Americans.  They were then introduced to the American officers, who were all sitting in the stands with them, observing their NCOs lead the troops through the exercise.  This utterly astonished the [Soviet] officers, as they could not conceive of such a thing.

Oh, and one other little thing.  This reliance upon officers instead of NCOs leads to a bit of rank inflation.  Majors command their companies and Captains their platoons, whereas Captains command our companies and Lieutenants our platoons.  They use Lieutenants as squad leaders, where we use Sergeants.  (And most of our platoons are really led by Sergeants, as well, even if a Lieutenant is nominally in charge.)

Learn from this. Remember what didn't work. Remember what did. This will all be on the test later.