Three main components of success in a difficult military matter. May representatives of technical and logistical specialties forgive me, but in the modern world of counteraction to a unipolar world order, even advanced countries with highly developed economies will not be able to achieve an advantage that can provide them with complete superiority only by the power of technical equipment. There will always be allies who can find a "trick against any scrap". The wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia are the clearest example of this, not without the help of external support, of course, but the US and the USSR did not achieve their goals with their armed forces. One can also recall Iraq, but there the decisive role was played rather by betrayal in the highest circles of power. Therefore, as before, the human factor will be the determining factor in modern armed confrontation.
But to what extent should these three components be present in a soldier, employee, military collective, commander or chief of any level? At first glance, the answer is simple: strive for infinity, the higher the level of each indicator, the better. This is indeed so in an ideal representation, but practical implementations are far from ideal, perhaps the only example of their successful combination is Tsar Leonidas and his 300 Spartans (you should not succumb to Hollywood propaganda, it is better to read the actual description of the Battle of Thermopylae yourself). And to achieve this is not entirely easy, even in a small division.
I suggest that the reader, together, against the background of historical experience and the thoughts of people who have managed to successfully combine all three components, to reason both separately for each category, and on their relationship and influence on the achievement of success.
What is fighting spirit? Fighting spirit is one of the basic concepts of military psychology, meaning the moral and physical readiness of a soldier, unit, unit, formation, association and armed forces to withstand the hardships and deprivations of military service, a constant focus on victory. Napoleon, perhaps, better than other outstanding generals understood the importance of the morale of the troops. He said that one soldier with a high fighting spirit is worth three without this weapon. True, he did not take into account one thing: what he called the fighting spirit is part of a more general spiritual essence, called the national spirit, and where the war is taking place. The troops defending the borders of their countries, relatives and friends, partisan movements created on fair principles are psychologically stronger than the soldiers who came to a foreign land. The defenders of the Brest Fortress, Moscow and Stalingrad, the 6th company of the Pskov Airborne Division accomplished their feat solely thanks to their fighting spirit, fulfilling their military duty to the Motherland.
Norman Copeland in his work "Psychology and the Soldier" most easily revealed the concept of fighting spirit: "This is the most powerful weapon known to man; more powerful than the heaviest tank, more powerful artillery than the most destructive bomb. High troop morale is a tool that can turn defeat into victory. The army is not defeated until it is imbued with the consciousness of defeat, for defeat is an imprisonment of the mind, not a physical state. " This is always important to remember.
But if the fighting spirit is invisible and intangible, then the preparedness of the soldier, unit, unit for action can be checked. To what extent does his knowledge, skills and abilities correspond to what awaits him in a real battle? Of course, every commander knows the level of training of his subordinates, and seeks to improve it in all ways available to him. It is hard in learning - easy in battle, Suvorov's wisdom, which will never lose its relevance. Success is directly proportional to the level of training of the troops and the professionalism of its commanders.
In the scientific literature there are a lot of definitions and interpretations of professionalism and professionalism. I am most impressed by this: a professional is “the highest stage of personality development in the profession, characterized by the necessary professionally important qualities, special competence, provided by special education, developed professional motivation, professional thinking, value-semantic sphere, professional self-awareness, which is not realized in the form of simple functioning in the profession, but in personal and professional growth. " It is in growth, live and learn, says popular wisdom, there is no limit to perfection. Achievement of such a stage will allow not only to act skillfully, but also to anticipate the development of the situation, to react in a timely manner and prevent the negative consequences of its change. Napoleon said: "Then I realized that I became great when I myself figured out all the intricacies."
And if for the armed forces there is peacetime to raise their level, then for the servicemen of the internal troops and employees of the internal affairs bodies there is not much of it. Every day military service and suddenly arising service and combat tasks, hence the increasing demands for their professionalism.
Here you can also trace a clear connection between the level of training and fighting spirit. Well-trained servicemen and subunits will certainly have a higher morale, they will have confidence in their ability to perform a combat mission with minimal losses, or even without them at all. But even this may not be enough to win. The events in Ukraine are an example of this, after the first Molotov cocktails "Berkut" and the internal troops had everything to fulfill their tasks. And the fighting spirit, and training, and support, but the command did not follow. Why? This is a topic for another study, the fact itself is important.
Here we will talk about the will of the commander. Volitional qualities are a person's ability to achieve their goals in conditions of real difficulties. The main ones are strength and persistence of will, determination. Willpower is the degree of necessary volitional effort made to achieve a desired goal. This quality manifests itself in overcoming difficulties. Fortitude is the level of persistence and repetition of efforts made to achieve a goal over a sufficiently long period of time. Almost any person, placed in difficult conditions, is able to withstand a one-time blow of fate. Only those who are distinguished by steadfastness of will can constantly resist difficulties. Purposefulness - the degree of awareness and clarity of the presentation of the goal, as well as perseverance with which obstacles are overcome in achieving it. The best solution, not completed, will turn out to be worse than the simplest one, made with precision. This is an axiom that has been proven in practice. The winner of the battle is not the one who gave good advice, but the one who took responsibility for its implementation and ordered it to be done.
How many battles were won thanks to the will of the commander, you can not count. Caesar's victory over Pompey at Pharsalus, the famous standing on the Ugra, the Battle of Kunersdorf. But, perhaps, the most striking, when the victory was achieved with determination, was the battle of Trebbia, in which the Russian-Austrian troops under the leadership of Field Marshal Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov defeated the superior forces of the French. When even the favorite of Suvorov, Bagration, reported that the decline was great, the guns did not shoot from the mud, the troops were exhausted, they could no longer fight, the commander said: “It's not good, Prince Peter,” and shouting: “Horse!”, As he was in shirt, galloped to the troops. All were resurrected at once, and fatigue as if it had happened. All military historians admit that if Suvorov had not even had any feats before, then for his one move to Trebbia and the battles of June 6-8, 1799, he deserves the title of a great commander.
But the manifestation of strong-willed qualities should not be out of the blue, any decision of the commander should be justified and supported by calculations, including taking into account the fighting spirit and professionalism of subordinates. This is how Nikolai Kirillovich Poppel speaks of the actions in the encirclement in 1944: “Now we have dozens, if not hundreds of fascist tanks in our rear areas. From the side of Stanislav, Nadvornaya, Nizhnyuv, newly replenished German divisions attacked. We do not hide the complexity of the situation from the soldiers, and they themselves see that shells, bandages and letters are delivered by air. But I have never heard a confused cry or a cowardly whisper: "Surrounded!" The tank army lives a normal, in comparison with 1941, combat life, only more intense than usual. No signs of confusion. An increase in combat prowess? Certainly, but not only. It is also the growth of spiritual resilience, human self-awareness”.
So should the categories under consideration tend to infinity? Or still harmoniously complement each other, for the sake of one goal - victory with minimal risks and costs? And not just supplement, but organically interact with each other and merge into one whole, creating a single highly efficient mechanism capable of fulfilling the task.
But only the commander and chief who understands this can do it. Who lives the life of his subordinates not only in the service, improves together with them, worries about every moment of their life, and, if necessary, will carry them along by personal example. And there are more and more of them, thank God!
