Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1467328
carrying fuel, reports on unencrypted communications, lack of supplies - this is just a fragment of the whole picture, but this little fragment bears a lot of relevance. The Russian Armed Forces are still struggling with the very same, old set of problems, despite the procurement of new MBTs, rockets, missiles, aircraft, and firearms. Pathology involving bribery, corruption, or nepotism has no impact on the results of combat. However, the indirect result of promotion for connections, not skills, translates into poor quality of the command chain, logistics, or inventory used by the soldiers. The corruption may also explain why conscripts are being sent to the battlefield. They replace the contracted troops whose positions have not been taken, while the commanders get their salary for themselves. One could also suspect that other factors are at play here. It is possible that only the officers who have their beliefs aligned with those of the leading politicians can have a successful career in the Russian military - similar to what happened back in the USSR. Probably those asking the wrong questions, or those who are eager to report problems, cannot progress, professionally. Finally, it is possible that training in numerous military units was not aimed at providing a proper skillset to the soldiers, but at carrying out the training, for the sake of carrying it out only. This is somewhat reminiscent of the situation of ambush training depicted in the "Heartbreak Ridge" movie starring Clint Eastwood - at a preplanned location, to announce a spectacular success. The source of the pathology may also be systemic, as the exercise needs to be successful, since the results have a decisive impact on awards and promotion, while the supervisors are not eager to change that. It is also visible that the elite airborne units are used as a replacement or addition to the mechanized units. This has tragic consequences. The weak armor of the BMD vehicles does not make them a good BMP replacement. It is also tragic that numerous of the identified Russian aircraft pilots are those who have had a fair share of experience gathered in combat, www.fragoutmag.com