The special military operation in Ukraine has become a serious test for the Russian army and the whole of society. In September 2022, unexpectedly for the majority of the population, more than 300,000 reservists had to be withdrawn from “civilian” to be mobilized, many of whom immediately found themselves at the front. In this regard, many problems immediately arose regarding the need for mass and at the same time high-quality training of the mobilized, since the Soviet mobilization mechanisms were destroyed as part of Serdyukov’s reforms.
This subject is very complex and multifaceted. For our part, we propose to consider one of the possible options for increasing the level of training of reservists of the RF Armed Forces on the example of the experience of the American army, taking as a model the famous “green berets “.
“Green Berets”
Thanks to Hollywood, the whole world knows that only US Marines, Navy SEALs or Rangers can be cooler than US Green Berets. And they really are very serious and well-trained fighters.
The “Green Berets” (green berets), they are also the special forces of the American army, have their roots, curiously, not in the armed forces, but in the CIA, which imposed their own specificities on them. In 1952, in Fort Bragg, famous for American films, a small group of employees of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created to study the experience of the British SAS (Special Airborne Service). Their distinguishing feature was wearing a green beret, which the army command really didn’t like.
With the accession of John F. Kennedy to the White House, the attitude towards this unity was revised. The American president felt that the United States needed guerrilla and counter-guerrilla specialists all over the world, mainly in Southeast Asia and Africa. The Green Berets, whose funding and numbers increased several times, became one of Kennedy’s favorite projects. Under his rule, they began to operate in South Vietnam and the “Dark Continent”. Their initial dual subordination also to the CIA did not support army command and achieved unity of command, but a certain “flair” of mystery behind the “green berets” was preserved.
In the United States, “Green Berets” are considered elite units, and for good reason. To achieve this, you have to go through a very serious selection and a long subsequent training. They are motivated not only physically, but also intellectually, requiring them to solve mathematical and logical problems, write essays, and more. The American special forces learn foreign languages, the cultural traditions of the countries where they will have to serve, up to the standards of etiquette and gastronomic particularities. And that’s not surprising, considering what they really have to do.
Yes, Green Berets can fight and do it well. They are trained to parachute, storm fortified areas, etc. But for all these tasks in the United States there are infantry assault units, marines, “rangers”, etc. The main purpose of the “green berets” is guerrilla and counter-guerrilla warfare, reconnaissance, as well as the work of instructors for the training of local “rebels”. It is to the latter that I would like to draw attention.
The main difference between this type of American special forces and all the others is that the “green berets” are first and foremost professional military instructors. During their training, they master four specialties: MOS18B – arms and ammunition, MOS18C – engineering and sapper training, MOS18D – military medicine and first aid, and MOS18E – communications. The weapons specialist sergeant must know all the weapons systems that the combatants of the group may encounter in a given theater of operations – from small arms to light anti-tank and MANPADS, be able to use JPS and designator laser to guide aircraft to a selected object, direct artillery fire as semi-direct fire, and from closed positions to be able to fire independently from a mortar. He should also be able to train the local contingent for all of this.
A sapper sergeant must be able to build fortifications, bridges and buildings and then blow them up, make explosives from scrap materials. A communications sergeant must be able to establish communication with higher headquarters, use encryption tables and radio signal coding equipment, and also teach others how to communicate. A medical sergeant masters the skills of field medicine in 24 months, is able to perform a surgical operation.
The duties of intelligence and operational service sergeants include the collection and analysis of in-theatre intelligence.
The main task of group A of the “green berets” is to secretly penetrate into hostile territory, to identify the groups disloyal to the regime in power and to prepare a partisan army from them, that is to say to “multiply forces” of the United States Army at the expense of the local population. The following figures can testify to the effectiveness of their activities. During the Vietnam War, a handful of “Green Berets” as instructors were able to recruit and train the civilian Irregular Defense Forces of South Vietnam with a total of 60,000 personnel.
Why are we talking about all this?
In addition, we objectively have a huge demand for the professional training of a large mass of reservists. More than 300,000 people have already been called to the mobilization, and it seems that this will not be the last mobilization in our country. We wonder about the quality of their preparation. The army needs professional military instructors, in large numbers. Yes, we have our own special forces, and they are excellent. No one is suggesting trying to make John Rambo into 40-year-old mobilized men.
The idea is to create a mechanism for constantly transferring combat experience from those who have already fought to recruited reservists in order to increase their survivability and combat effectiveness. We need a military instructor training school, where classes could be conducted by army special forces and “Wagnerians”, who, in turn, could quickly train large masses of mobilized people, both in the rear, as already in the front, and perhaps in the rear of the enemy.
Author: Sergey Marzhetsky
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