Soviet Troop Control

The challenge to an American battalion commander is clear. The issue is how to stop a Soviet regiment moving at high speed and still live to fight another day. This monograph argues that the disruption of troop control is the key for defeating a Soviet regiment. The monograph initially exposes the reader to the Soviet concept of troop control and its critical role in Soviet operations. It then shows that the Soviets are currently attempting to reform their approach to troop control by injecting new standards for accountability and initiative. The author then argues that troop control is vulnerable to disruption due to overreliance on accurate intelligence, discouragement of commanders from acting outside of approved norms, excessive rigidity in battalion-level planning and execution, and a fragile chain-of-command. The monograph concludes with the proposals of several actions within current US capabilities that may successfully disrupt Soviet troop control at the regiment and below. In particular, the author develops a detailed and innovative scheme for the use of Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to attack the excessive rigidity of Soviet command and control procedures.