The How Russia Fights in Large-Scale Combat Operations assessment provides a comprehensive overview of Russia’s military strategy, operational concepts, and anticipated employment of ground forces in a major theater conflict, particularly with NATO. It draws on historical precedent, lessons from the Ukraine war, and recent doctrinal developments.

Key Insights:

• Perceived Threat: Russia views NATO expansion and U.S. influence as existential threats, shaping its military strategy focused on strategic depth and territorial defense.
• Modernized Approach: While rooted in Soviet-era operational art (mass, deception, attrition), Russia integrates modern capabilities like drones, precision fires, electronic warfare, and cyber operations.
• Ground Forces Are Central: Combined-arms armies, supported by artillery and air defense, are key to both positional defense (attrition) and rapid offensives.
• Future Force Development: The Russian Ground Forces will likely emphasize division-based maneuver, massed fires, upgraded artillery, and integration of new technologies, while continuing to rely on conscription.
• Potential Scenarios: Russia may launch surprise offensives or adopt a defensive posture utilizing terrain and attrition to slow adversaries.
• Preparation for Conflict: The U.S. Army must prepare for a battlespace characterized by contested electromagnetic environments, intense artillery duels, and a resilient adversary with a growing defense-industrial base.

Understanding Russia’s evolving approach to Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) is crucial for U.S. Army training, education, and deterrence efforts in the European theater. This analysis reinforces the importance of preparing for a complex operational environment and the vital role of Russia’s Ground Forces in protecting its periphery.

This is the second in a series building on the work presented in T2COM Pamphlet 525-92, The Operational Environment 2024-2034: Large-Scale Combat Operations. This series of papers focuses on our key potential adversaries—China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—and how they fight at the operational level of warfare.