Combat support is a system of measures enshrined in the charter aimed at eliminating the possibility of a surprise attack by the enemy and reducing the effectiveness of these attacks. They also consist in creating suitable conditions for the conduct of hostilities for units and subunits.
Types of combat support have changed over time. Some of them either became independent industries, or were included in others, and sometimes outgrew the scope of support and were included in the content of the battle.
Through time
The First World War marked the beginning of the development of combat support. Before it, there were only three types of it: camouflage, reconnaissance and preservation. However, during the war, tanks, aviation and chemical weapons began to be used for the first time, so the foundation was laid for such branches of support as anti-tank, air defense and anti-chemical defense of troops. There was also a need for meteorological support due to the use of aeronautic vehicles and artillery fire from closed positions.
After the Great Patriotic War, certain adjustments were made to the types of support for military operations. In view of the increase in the joints between units and subunits and the relatively low density of means and forces during maneuvering operations, the flanks and joints between subunits and units became especially vulnerable. This led to the emergence of a new industry, which was called the provision of flanks and junctions. Also during World War II, protection against airborne assaults also became a support industry.
Anti-bacteriological and anti-nuclear protection began to be used for the first time in the post-war period. Later, together with chemical protection, they entered a new branch of support called the protection of troops from weapons of mass destruction.
Such types as anti-aircraft and anti-tank defense, protection against airborne assaults, providing flanks became part of combined arms combat and how types of combat support were abolished.
Tactical intelligence
The main types of combat support for the troops include, first of all, reconnaissance. This is a system of measures for collecting and studying information about the troops and military means of the enemy, as well as the terrain in which combat operations are to be conducted. The main purpose of reconnaissance is to establish the combat composition, location, condition and grouping of enemy troops, special attention should be paid to nuclear and chemical means of attack, high-precision weapons systems. As a result of reconnaissance, flaws in the enemy's defenses and his strengths, the presence and nature of engineering equipment in the occupied area, and the possibility of using nuclear and chemical weapons are studied. Apart fromIn addition, the social side is also important: the mood among the local population, the economic situation and the socio-political composition are explored.
Successfully conducted reconnaissance ensures the possibility of a timely response to enemy actions and the successful entry into battle of units and subunits, as well as the realization of the entire combat potential of the troops.
Disguise
One of the most important types of security is camouflage. This is a system of measures that should hide from the alleged enemy the deployment of their troops, their number, equipment, their combat readiness, intentions and actions. The constant improvement of reconnaissance means forces us to constantly work on camouflage means. The main requirements are activity, constancy and continuity, diversity and credibility.
Activity means the ability in any conditions to demonstrate and impose on the enemy false information about the position, intentions and composition of one's troops. Persuasiveness implies that all measures taken must be appropriate to the situation, while taking into account the various possibilities of reconnaissance of the enemy, because they are applied in a complex manner. Persistence and continuity - this requirement means that camouflage measures must be carried out not only in preparation for battle, but also in case of any changes in the situation, as well as directly during the conduct of the battle. The use of a variety of camouflage methods eliminates stereotypes, and therefore reduces the effectiveness of enemyintelligence.
Engineering
Engineering entered into the types of comprehensive support for military operations during the First World War, but over time it changed qualitatively. In today's world, the engineering industry has to solve a number of complex tasks related to creating suitable conditions for hostilities, increasing protection against enemy weapons, as well as striking a potential enemy using engineering means.
Effective operation of this industry is impossible without engineering reconnaissance of the enemy, facilities and combat areas. The tasks of engineering support include fortification work on the ground, the deployment of communication and control points, as well as the destruction of enemy engineering facilities (clearing mines, removing obstacles and barriers, maintaining crossings and traffic routes). As part of engineering support, measures are being taken to supply water, as well as camouflage troops and military installations.
Chemical supply
This industry includes not only measures to protect troops from weapons of mass destruction (abbreviated as ZOMP), but also control over their use, as well as the use of masking smoke.
This type of security is also based on intelligence. The tasks of radiation and chemical reconnaissance include the detection of the corresponding contamination and the supply of headquarters with data on the situation on the ground and in the lower atmosphere. If there is an infection, its degree, nature and extent are revealed, they are indicatedborders of infected zones, ways to bypass them are organized. The same specialists carry out activities for bacteriological (biological) non-specific reconnaissance, the result of which is to obtain information about the use of bacteriological weapons by the enemy and the protection of his troops from it. Dosimetric and chemical control is carried out as part of chemical support. In case of infection of troops, special treatment is carried out to maintain their combat capability. It includes decontamination, decontamination and disinfection of equipment, weapons, engineering and materiel, if necessary, sanitization of personnel.
Camouflage smokes are used to blind the enemy. They also allow you to simulate the action of decoys and mask the position of your troops. Smoke counteracts some types of enemy reconnaissance, makes photographing, video surveillance and visual control difficult, and interferes with the operation of other equipment.
All types of combat support must be used collectively and continuously, during the battle and its preparation, during the movement of troops and their location on the ground. In view of the constant expansion of tasks and the reduction in the timing of their implementation, most of the support work is assigned to the troops themselves, and only the most complex tasks that require special knowledge and the availability of equipment are performed by parts of special troops, for example, engineering troops.
The organizers of security measures are the chief of staff and the chiefs of branches and units of special forces.
Oldest industry
Protection is one of the main types of combat support that existed even before the First World War. All units and subunits, without exception, regardless of the conditions, during the conduct of combat and its preparation, during the movement of troops and deployment on the ground, are obliged to carry out security measures. The purpose of the guard is to exclude the possibility of a sudden attack by the enemy, to interfere with enemy reconnaissance and to create favorable conditions for the entry of friendly troops into battle. The task of preventing surprise attacks from the air was once also entrusted to security, but in modern conditions this has become impossible without the use of special air defense radar equipment.
Types of combat aviation support
The Air Force, due to the need to conduct combat operations in the air, has several different types of combat support, however, some of them are classic (camouflage, chemical support, aerial reconnaissance) adjusted for a different impact environment.
Electronic warfare is a set of measures to detect and suppress enemy electronic means, and, accordingly, protect one's own radio electronic equipment from interference created by the enemy.
Navigation support includes a number of measures to ensure the safety, reliability and accuracy of flights along routes, the timely withdrawal of air equipment to objects, and the most efficient use of available weapons. As part of the navigational support, calculations and data are prepared, the use of radio engineering and radio navigation systems(both ground and airborne), as well as solving problems directly in battle.
The Air Force also has a radio engineering industry, the essence of which is to receive timely accurate information about the position of aircraft in space, to provide pilots with data for accurate targeting of targets (air and ground), to ensure safety during takeoff and landing at airfields. Search and rescue support means measures to supply aircraft crews with rescue equipment and prepare for their use, training and technical equipment of crews involved in rescue operations, search for aircraft in distress and assistance to them.
Weather and terrain
Topogeodetic support is aimed at collecting data on the area in which the fighting will be conducted. The tasks of this industry include supplying the headquarters with maps, special and topographic, photographic documents of the area, preparing gravimetric and geodetic information, topographic reconnaissance activities, predicting possible problems during combat. The purpose of meteorological support is to alert the headquarters, units and units of troops on meteorological conditions in the zone of direct combat operations or in the area where it is necessary to carry out maneuvers. These reports include both forecasts and actual weather information. However, the main purpose is to achieve the maximum efficiency of aviation operations and ensure flight safety.
This is the type of security that needs to be given equal attention,than the rest. Its tasks are to prevent a sudden attack by enemy troops (both ground and air) on rear facilities, as well as their direct protection in battle. By order of the commander, additional funds can be allocated for solving such tasks, which are provided by combat units. Various conditions dictate various methods of protection. This may be guard duty, the construction of observation posts, the dispatch of patrols and patrols. Measures must be taken to protect against the penetration of local residents and enemy groups for the purpose of reconnaissance and sabotage, not only directly to rear facilities, but also to evacuation and supply routes.
Rear management is an integral part of command and control, it is carried out by the commander himself or by persons replacing him (heads of services, headquarters, deputies for logistics).
He alth and comfort of personnel
Types of combat support also include medical support. This is a set of measures to preserve the combat capability of the troops, improve the he alth of soldiers and promptly return the wounded and sick to duty. Medical support includes measures to protect against weapons of mass destruction, as well as the evacuation of the wounded, the deployment of field hospitals, timely assistance to the wounded, anti-epidemic and sanitary treatment.
Medical intelligence is aimed at identifying those factors in the zone of command which may affect the he alth of personnel. Conditions are being studiedlife of the population and the sanitary condition of settlements, the presence of infections among local residents is established, in case of identification of sources, foci of diseases are localized. As a result of medical reconnaissance, foci of contaminated areas and sources of water are indicated, if any. In unfamiliar terrain, information about poisonous animals and plants is especially important. Material support consists in satisfying units and subdivisions in the necessary material resources. It includes the delivery of food and household items, their storage and timely distribution. Material resources also include all types of weapons, military and transport equipment, fuel, medical, clothing and engineering property, ammunition and other materials. Depending on the situation, additional stocks of materiel may be created, as well as their transfer to other units and subunits.
Repair
The composition of combat support is supplemented by the repair of weapons and equipment. The task of this industry is to maintain and restore the serviceability of technical means, as well as care for them to increase their service life. In a combat situation, repairs are carried out, as a rule, directly at the site of the breakdown or, if possible, in the nearest shelter. This is done by special repair units. Troubleshooting can take place at the deployment sites of units. Repair can be current (replacement of faulty parts, adjustment work) and medium (restoration of equipment characteristics, which is achieved by replacing or repairing damagedmechanisms). Considering this, the current repair can be carried out in the field, while the average repair is longer in time, but increases the technical life of the sample.
There are principles for determining the priority of repairs. The first in line, as in the case of evacuation, are the weapons mechanism, military and engineering equipment that are directly necessary to carry out a combat mission. Of these, the first to be repaired are the units that require the least amount of time and resources, and, therefore, will be brought back into combat condition the fastest. Combat support also includes the evacuation of faulty equipment to nearby shelters, transport routes and to the places of deployment of repair units. Evacuation also implies the extraction of equipment from under water, blockages, drifts, turning over overturned samples.
Training
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the technical support of the troops, it has become part of the main part of command and control and is carried out personally by the commander and his deputies. However, for the effectiveness of the use of technical equipment, a certain training of troops is necessary. The personnel are obliged to know the features of the operation of their equipment, this knowledge is developed and consolidated through theoretical studies and practical work. The time allotted for the development of a particular means, as well as the issues studied during preparation, is determined by the commander. Soldiers master equipment in accordance with the specialization of their unit or subunit: radio equipment, armored andautomotive equipment, rocket and artillery equipment, protection, communications equipment, etc. If necessary, specialists from engineering services can be involved in the preparation.
Conclusion
Means of armed struggle are improved over time, this inevitably leads to a constant complication of combat support. Thus, according to information from foreign printed sources, during the Great Patriotic War, the consumption of material resources amounted to twenty kilograms per day per soldier, including food, ammunition and fuel. In modern local wars, this figure has quadrupled. In the course of combat and military actions, more and more new tasks arise, which over time will lead to the emergence of new branches of military support, for example, protection against high-precision weapons. This will require the performance of many tasks of general support by the personnel, as well as some re-equipment of the troops, making adjustments to all other sectors, because they must be applied in a comprehensive manner - this is the only way to achieve maximum efficiency.
