Soviet Actions In Afghanistan And Initiative At The Tactical Level: Are There Implications For The US Army?

Major John D. Frketic

• Publisher: Tannenberg Publishing
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781786253088
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This monograph examines the Soviet experience in Afghanistan (1979-1988) in terms of Soviet Army tactics and organization for combat. Throughout the decade of the 1970's, U.S. perceptions of Soviet ground force tactics stressed a general lack of initiative and flexibility in their military doctrine. In the 1980's a re-evaluation of Soviet thinking occurred which saw greater flexibility at the operational and strategic levels If the experience in Afghanistan has shown that set-piece tactics will not work in all types of warfare, and the Soviets are able to incorporate higher levels of initiative and flexibility into their tactical doctrine, then the U.S. may be required to refocus its training away from the stylized Soviet enemy.
This study begins with a background discussion of Soviet historical involvement in Afghanistan to include counter-insurgency experience in their southwestern border area. It then covers the actual invasion and units employed with emphasis on their pre-deployment status and subsequent performance. The following section divides the war into four phases to ease understanding. The monograph subsequently looks at lessons learned and principles reaffirmed from both the Soviet and U.S. perspective. A key feature is the need the Soviets apparently feel for Western style initiative and flexibility at lower command levels (battalion, company and platoon), and how this is inconsistent with their culture and system of command and control.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Amstutz, J. Bruce. Afghanistan. The first five Years of Soviet Occupation. National Defense University Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C., 1986.

Bennigsen, Alexandre. The Soviet Union and Muslim Guerrilla Wars. 1920-1981: Lessons for Afghanistan. Santa Monica, California Rand, 1981.

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Erickson, John and Feuchtwanger, E. J. (Edited). Soviet Military Power and Performance. Hamden, Connecticut. The Shoe String Press, Inc., 1979

English, John A On Infantry. New York: Praeger, 1984

Griffiths, John C. Afghanistan key To A continent Boulder, Colorado Westview Press, 1981.

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Isby, David C Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army. London, Jane’s Publishing Company Limited, 1988

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Zey-Ferrell, Mary; Porchman, Arlene and Gaston, Jerry Initiative And Innovation in the Soviet Military Occasional Paper No 6, Occasional Papers Series, 1984.

PERIODICALS

Adams, Peter. “Retreat From Afghanistan. How The Soviets Failed”. Army Times, 16 May 1988.

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Bodansky, Yossef. “Learning Afghanistan’s Lesson”. Jane’s Defense Weekly, 20 February 1988

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Bodansky, Yossef. “The New Generation of the Soviet High Command”. Jane’s Defense Weekly, 31 October 1987.

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Cardoza, Captain A. A. et. al. “Battle Study: The Soviet War in Afghanistan”. Marine Corps Gazette, July 1986.

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Gunston, John. “Stingers Used by Afghan Rebels Stymie Soviet Air Force Tactics”. Aviation Week and Space Technology, 4 April 1988.

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McCormick, First Lieutenant Kip. “T...

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• ABSTRACT
• I. INTRODUCTION
• II. BACKGROUND
• III. THE INVASION
• IV. THE MILITARY EXPERIENCE
• V. LESSONS LEARNED AND PRINCIPLES REAFFIRMED
• VI. CONCLUSION
• BIBLIOGRAPHY