The main types of combat support

Combat support is a statutory system of measures designed to exclude the possibility of a sudden attack from the enemy and to reduce the effectiveness of these attacks. They also consist in creating suitable units for units and subunits for conducting combat operations.

Types of combat support have changed over time. Some of them then became independent branches, then they were included in others, and at times the support frames grew out and were included in the content of the battle.

Through me

The First World War marked the beginning of the development of combat support. Before it, there were only three of its types: disguise, reconnaissance and preservation. However, during the war, tanks, aviation and chemical weapons were first used , therefore, such support sectors as anti-tank, anti-aircraft defense and chemical protection of troops were launched. There was also a need for meteorological support due to the use of aeronautical vehicles and the artillery fire from closed positions.

After the Great Patriotic War, certain types of adjustments were introduced into the types of support for combat operations. In view of the increase in joints between units and subunits and the relatively low density of assets and forces in maneuvering operations, flanks and joints between subunits and units have become particularly vulnerable. This led to the emergence of a new industry, which was called the provision of flanks and joints. Also during the Patriotic War, protection from airborne assaults also became a support industry.

Antibacterial and antinuclear protection was first used in the post-war period. Later, together with anti-chemical protection, they entered a new security industry, called the protection of troops from weapons of mass destruction.

Such types as anti-aircraft and anti-tank defense, protection from airborne assault forces, provision of flanks, became part of a combined-arms engagement and how types of combat support were abolished.

Tactical Intelligence

The main types of combat support for the troops are primarily intelligence. This is a system of measures to collect and study information about the troops and military equipment of the enemy, as well as the area in which the fighting is 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 attack weapons, high-precision weapon systems. As a result of reconnaissance, flaws in the enemy defense and its strengths, availability and nature of engineering equipment in the occupied area, the possibility of using nuclear and chemical means are studied. Among other things, the social side is also important: the spirit among the local population, the economic situation and the socio-political composition are being explored.

Successfully conducted reconnaissance ensures the possibility of timely reaction to the enemy's actions and successful entry into battle of units and units, as well as the realization of the entire combat potential of the troops.

Disguise

One of the most important types of security is disguise. This is a system of measures that must hide from the alleged enemy the dislocation of their troops, their number, equipment, their combat readiness, intentions and actions. Constant perfection of reconnaissance means forces constantly to work and over means of camouflage. The main requirements are activity, constancy and continuity, diversity and persuasiveness.

Activity means the ability to demonstrate and impose false information about the situation, intentions and composition of your troops in any conditions. Convincedness assumes that all measures taken must be consistent with the situation, taking into account the various possibilities for reconnaissance of the enemy, because they are applied in a comprehensive manner. Consistency and continuity - this requirement means that masking activities should be carried out not only in preparation for the battle, but also in any changes in the situation, and also directly during the conduct of the battle. The use of various methods of camouflage excludes stereotypedness, and therefore, reduces the effectiveness of enemy reconnaissance.

Engineering support

In the forms of comprehensive support for combat operations, engineering came during the First World War, but over time it changed qualitatively. In the modern world, the engineering industry has to deal with a whole series of complicated tasks related to the creation of suitable conditions for combat operations, increasing the protection against enemy weapons, and also delivering strikes against the alleged enemy through engineering means.

Effective work of this industry is impossible without engineer reconnaissance of the enemy, objects and the area of combat operations. 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 (demining, removal of obstacles and barriers, the maintenance of crossings and traffic routes). Within the framework of engineering support, water supply activities, as well as camouflage of troops and military facilities are carried out.

Chemicals

This sector includes not only measures to protect troops from weapons of mass destruction (abbreviated as ZMP), but also control over their use, as well as the use of masking fumes.

This type of collateral is also based on exploration. The tasks of radiation and chemical reconnaissance include the detection of an appropriate contamination and supplying the headquarters with data on the situation on the ground and in the lower atmosphere. If there is infection, its degree, character and scale are revealed, boundaries of infected zones are designated, ways of their bypassing are organized. The same specialists carry out measures for bacteriological (biological) non-specific exploration, the result of which is obtaining information about the use of bacteriological weapons by the enemy and protecting his troops from him.
In the framework of chemical maintenance, dosimetric and chemical control is carried out. In the event of infection of troops to maintain their fighting capacity, special treatment is conducted. It includes decontamination, decontamination and disinfection of equipment, weapons, engineering and materiel, and, if necessary, sanitation of personnel.

Masking fumes are used to dazzle the enemy. They also allow you to simulate the operation of false objects and to mask the position of your troops. Smokes counteract some types of reconnaissance of the enemy, make photography, video surveillance and visual control difficult, interfere 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 shortening of the deadlines for their implementation, most of the work to be done is entrusted to the troops themselves, and only the most complex tasks requiring special knowledge and the availability of equipment are performed by special forces, for example, engineer troops.

The organizers of the security measures are the chief of staff and the chiefs of genera and special forces units.

The oldest branch

Security is one of the main types of combat support that existed before the First World War. All without exception, units and subunits, irrespective of the conditions, in the conduct of the battle and its preparation, in the movement of troops and location on the ground are required to carry out security measures. The purpose of the guard is to exclude the possibility of a surprise attack by the enemy, to prevent enemy reconnaissance and to create favorable conditions for the entry of troops into the battle. The task of preventing sudden attacks from the air was once also entrusted to security, but in modern conditions it became impossible without the use of special air defense radar.

Types of combat support for aviation

The Air Force, because of the need to conduct combat operations in the air, has several excellent types of combat support, but some of them are classic (masking, chemical, aerial reconnaissance), adjusted for another environment of impact.

The electronic warfare is a complex of measures for the detection and suppression of enemy electronic warfare, and, accordingly, the protection of its own REM from interference created by the enemy.

Navigational support includes a number of measures to ensure the safety, reliability and accuracy of flights along the routes, the timely withdrawal of air equipment to facilities, the most effective use of existing weapons. Within the framework of navigational support, calculations and data are prepared, the use of radio engineering and radio navigation systems (both terrestrial and airborne), as well as the solution of problems directly in combat.

The Air Force also has a radio engineering branch, the essence of which is to receive timely accurate information on the position of air assets in space, provide pilots with data for accurate guidance on targets (air and ground), security during takeoff and landing at aerodromes.
Search and rescue services include measures to provide crews with life-saving equipment and preparations for their use, training and technical equipment for crews involved in rescue operations, searching for aircraft, distressed and assisting them.

Weather and terrain

Topogeodetic support is aimed at collecting data on the terrain in which hostilities will be fought. The tasks of this branch include supplying the headquarters with maps, special and topographic, photo-documents of the terrain, preparation of gravimetric and geodetic information, activities for topographical reconnaissance, forecasting possible problems in the conduct of combat.
The purpose of meteorological support is to alert the headquarters, units and units of the troops about the meteorological conditions in the zone of direct combat operations or in the area where maneuvers are necessary. These reports include both forecasts and information on actual weather. However, the main purpose is still to achieve maximum effectiveness of aviation operations and ensure safety of flights.

This is a type of security that needs to be paid no less attention than the rest. His tasks are to prevent a sudden attack of enemy troops (both ground and air) on the rear facilities, as well as their direct protection in combat. By order of the commander, additional means, provided by combat units, can be allocated to solve such tasks.
Various conditions dictate and various ways of protection. This can be the carrying out of guard duty, the construction of observation posts, the dispatch of patrols and patrols. Measures should be taken to protect against penetration by local residents and enemy groups for the purpose of reconnaissance and sabotage not only directly to the rear facilities, but also to the evacuation and transport routes.

The rear management is an integral part of the control of the troops, it is carried out by the commander himself or by persons who replace him (heads of services, headquarters, deputy commanders for logistics).

Health and comfort of personnel

Types of combat support also include medical support. This is a set of measures to preserve the fighting efficiency of troops, to strengthen the health of soldiers and the fastest return to the system of the wounded and sick. 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-hygienic treatment.
Medical intelligence is aimed at identifying those factors in the zone of military operations that can affect the health of personnel. The study of living conditions of the population and the sanitary condition of settlements is carried out, the presence of infections among local residents is established, in the case of identifying sources, foci of diseases are localized. As a result of medical intelligence, foci of contaminated areas and water sources are identified, if any. In an unfamiliar terrain, information about poisonous animals and plants is particularly important.
Material support consists in the satisfaction of units and units in the necessary material means. It includes the delivery of food and household items, their storage and timely issuance. Material means also include all types of weapons, combat and transport equipment, fuel, medical, clothing and engineering equipment, ammunition and other materials. Depending on the situation, additional stocks of materiel may be created, as well as transferring them to other parts and units.

Repairs

The composition of combat support is complemented by the repair of weapons and equipment. The task of this branch is maintenance and restoration of serviceability of technical means, and also care for them for increasing the resource of work. In the conditions of the combat situation, repairs are usually made directly at the site of the breakdown or, if possible, in the nearest shelter. This is done by special repair units. Repair of malfunctions can take place in the deployment areas of units. Repair can be current (replacement of faulty parts, adjustment work) and medium (restoration of technical characteristics, which is achieved by replacing or repairing damaged machinery). Taking this into account, current repairs can be carried out in the field, the average repair is more prolonged in time, however it increases the technical resource of the sample.
There are principles for determining the order of repair. The first in line, as well as during evacuation, are the weapons mechanism, combat and engineering equipment, which are directly necessary for the performance of the combat mission. Of these, the first to repair units that require the least amount of time and resources, and, therefore, and the fastest again will be brought into combat condition.
Also in combat support is the evacuation of defective equipment to nearby shelters, to transport routes and to the location of the repair units. Evacuation involves the extraction of equipment from under the water, blockages, drifts, inverting overturned samples.

Training

The importance of the technical support of troops can not be overstated, it has become part of the management of troops and is carried out personally by the commander and the persons who replace him. However, for the effectiveness of the use of technical equipment, certain training of troops is necessary. The personnel must know the peculiarities of the exploitation of their equipment, this knowledge is developed and consolidated through theoretical studies and practical work. Time allocated for the development of a particular tool, as well as the questions studied during preparation are determined by the commander. Soldiers master the equipment in accordance with the specialization of their unit or unit: radio equipment, armored and motor vehicles, missile and artillery, protection, communications equipment, etc. In necessary cases, specialists in engineering and technical services may be involved in training.

Conclusion

Means of armed struggle are improving over time, this inevitably leads to a constant complication of combat support. So, according to information from foreign printed sources, during the Great Patriotic War, the expenditure of material was estimated at twenty kilograms per day per soldier, including food, ammunition and fuel. In modern local wars, this figure increased fourfold.
In the course of the battle and the actions of the troops, new tasks are emerging which will eventually lead to the emergence of new branches of military support, for example protection from precision weapons. This will require carrying out a multitude of general security tasks on the part of the personnel, as well as some re-equipment of troops, making adjustments to all other branches, as they must be applied in a complex manner - only in this way maximum efficiency can be achieved.