Page 172 - Chronicle Vol 17

Rifleman can be drawn from this example. It is imperative that leaders within the Rifles are relentless in their drive for professionalism and success. This is not always the popular choice with the Rifleman, but these decisions provide Rifleman the skill set in order to achieve success. It is also clear that as a regiment, there is a need to conduct mission orientated and realistic training in order to best prepare Rifleman for the missions and tasks that they will conduct. This allows the freedom of thought and the trust needed for Rifleman to act independently.
THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo- Ukrainian War. Despite initial success, a clear lack of Russian mission command meant that strategic successes were not capitalised upon. In an attempt to regain initiative, many high-ranking Russian officers were killed in the opening weeks of the war after they pushed too far to the tactical front to try and maintain control. This demonstrates that the Russian forces did not adequately employ mission command, did not trust their subordinates to implement their plan and did not allow the freedom of thought of their soldiers at the tactical level. All of which highlights the Russian emphasis on centralised planning, too inflexible or decen- tralized for success in modern warfare.
Another failing of the Russian forces is that they had not adequately conducted realistic and mission specific training. The Russian forces were canalised from the ministerial level into conducting exercises for show purposes as opposed to test- ing their forces on realistic and challenging training exercises. This did not foster the confidence and freedom of thought in their soldiers at the tactical level. It is imperative that commanders within The Rifles do not fall into the same trap as the Russian forces and allow junior commanders space to manoeuver within the plan. It is important to encourage failure whilst on exercise to facilitate success on the battlefield.
The Ukrainians have since shown success over multiple counteroffensives and are retaking Russian held ground. This has been attributed to their ability to uti- lise modern and innovative equipment. Reports of Ukrainian forces using com- mercial off the shelf (COTS) UAV capabilities and modified civilian vehicles have allowed them the freedom to maneuver rapidly, often overwhelm the numerically superior and better resourced Russian forces. These COTS and adaptive tactics capabilities are, in general, lacking within the British Army. This can be attributed to the slow procurement process of the British Army.
The lessons learnt from the Russian invasion of Ukraine must be implemented into the training of Riflemen. The innovative spirit of The Rifles is a force for success, but changes must be made at brigade level to ensure the flexibility of resources and funding. This will allow for innovative procurement of equipment mirroring that achieved by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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