Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 16

NATO country
members in 1989

Former USSR

USSR’s partners in the Warsaw Pact

the encirclement and annihilation tactics of
the last century.

Tactical Consistencies

Moscow

Current NATO
members (2015)

Russia

Russian partners in the
Collective Security Treaty Organization

Moscow
Ukraine called
for full NATO
membership
in 2014

(Graphic by G. Cabrera, NATO/Reuters)

Figure 2. NATO Expansion
hybrid threat as “the diverse and dynamic combination
of regular forces, irregular forces, and/or criminal
elements all unified to achieve mutually benefitting
effects.”30 A fighting force comprised predominantly of
native militia provides not only an economy of force
to the regular Russian military, but also gives legitimacy to the Russian side because the militia lives in the
contested regions.
Second are tactics seeking to avoid conflict when
possible through “noncontact clashes by highly interspecific forces.”31 These interspecific forces include protesters, rioters, militia groups, biker gangs, nationalists,
mercenaries, and spetsnaz (special forces) to exacerbate
the situation to force a reaction by the host government, which then gives Moscow the justification to
intervene with conventional forces. When battle is
unavoidable, however, Russian tactics are similar to
14

Russia’s hybrid force and encirclement
and annihilation tactics are consistent with
the military history of the nation. In 945 AD,
Russian rulers employed a Tatar tribe, the
Pechenegs, in a successful campaign against
the Byzantine Empire.32 Another employment of a hybrid force was the use of Cossacks
against Napoleon’s Grande Armée during
the retreat from Moscow.33 And, the Soviet
Union’s hybrid force during World War II was
instrumental in defeating the German invasion. For the Soviets, the partisans provided
reconnaissance, assisted in deception campaigns, and provided guides for Soviet forces
attacking the Germans.34
The idea of encircling and destroying an
enemy force has fascinated military planners since its perfection at Cannae. Modern
technology made encirclement and annihilation tactics possible in the mid-twentieth
century. The Soviets experienced success using
this tactic in 1939 against the Japanese in the
Battle of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan); against
the German 6th Army in Stalingrad in 1942;
and against the German Army Group Center
during Operation Bagration in 1944.35

Tactical Adaptations
Russian tactics evolved to fit the modern operational
environment. The Russian hybrid force includes regular
forces, local militias, private contractors, extreme nationalists, criminals, and Muslim fundamentalists. This mixture of forces is particularly difficult to oppose because of
their diverse backgrounds and motivations. The regional
militias—trained and equipped by Russia—provide that
homegrown, forward-deployed force that offers legitimacy to the cause. Private contractors are an evolution of the
pan-Slav motivated force seen in Balkan conflicts of the
twentieth century.36 Employing criminals, extreme nationalists, and Islamic fundamentalists outside of Russia’s
borders are a win-win for Russia. It prevents problems
within Russia’s borders while allowing these actors to
serve as cannon fodder and act out their aggression on a
May-June 2016  MILITARY REVIEW