Russian operational art in the Fifth Century

• Autor(a) principal: Mattsson, Peter A.
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Eklund, Niklas
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/36534
• topic: Russian operational art; Modernization; Northern Europe

Showing a more strategic inclination in the current decade, Russian operational art has entered a new intellectual phase. A major finding presented in this article is that there is a line of military thought and planning that can be traced back to the first tenure and political leadership of President Putin, as expressed particularly in the 2003 White Paper. In this light, the 2010 Russian military doctrine and related military reform indicates continuity in how the conceptualization of modern warfare impacts operational art in Russia, rather than something new. The applied perspective belongs to the field of war studies and focuses on aspects of fighting power, crucial to which are conceptual, moral, and physical components. It addresses the question about whether or not Russia currently has synchronized its perception of modern warfare with its concept of operational art. An effort is made to trace the contemporary Russian concept of modern war, how its introduction was accelerated by the 2008 Caucasian war and how it has impacted the evolving military discussion about Russian operational art. Last but not least, the article discusses some operational implications for the northern flank of the Western Military District, i.e. the Arctic and the European north.