November 5 is the professional holiday of Russian military intelligence. On this day 98 years ago, the Registration Office was established to coordinate the efforts of all intelligence agencies of the army. About how far domestic military intelligence has gone and how strong it is today - in the RT material.
The history of military intelligence in Russia began about 500 years ago, when, under Ivan the Terrible, a single state and the beginnings appeared regular army. As a separate institution, military intelligence took shape in 1654, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich established the Order of Secret Affairs. In 1716, the activities of military intelligence were enshrined in the Military Regulations and acquired a legal basis.
The impetus for the development of the intelligence service in the Russian Empire was the political intrigues of European monarchies and constant wars on the continent. The colossal importance of military intelligence was realized by the Russian elite during the period Patriotic War. In 1812, a special office appeared under the Minister of War.
The strategic adversary of the Russian Empire until the beginning of the 20th century was Great Britain, whose intelligence was the best in the world for hundreds of years. In the 1920s, against the backdrop of a confrontation with the West, the Soviet leadership made great efforts to create an extensive network of agents abroad. By the mid-1930s, the USSR not only leveled the situation, but also began to outplay the British on their own field.
An indicator of Moscow's success was the case of the so-called Cambridge Five - five agents recruited by Soviet spy Arnold Deutsch.
Agents penetrated the intelligence and diplomatic structures of the kingdom and even Buckingham Palace.
Soviet military intelligence made a huge contribution to the defeat of Nazism and to the containment of the United States during the Cold War. 692 military intelligence officers were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union and Hero Russian Federation.
History of the GRU
Before the Great Patriotic War, the body responsible for managing military intelligence changed its name several times. On February 6, 1942, Joseph Stalin signed an order to rename the department into the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU GSH).
General military training officers was carried out at the Ryazan Airborne Forces School and at the Kiev Combined Arms Command School. The Military Diplomatic Academy of the USSR Ministry of Defense was responsible for the special training of GRU officers.
Military intelligence is often confused with foreign intelligence, which was handled by the 1st Commander-in-Chief of the KGB in the USSR. In Russia, foreign intelligence is the competence of the Foreign Intelligence Service, which since October 5, 2016 has been headed by Sergei Naryshkin, who replaced Mikhail Fradkov in this post.
Since January 2016, the head of the GRU has been Lieutenant General Igor Korobov. He reports directly to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. At the same time, the head of the GRU has no direct connection with the political leadership - with the exception of the president, that is, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The primary tasks of the GRU include the collection and processing of data on the armed forces of foreign states, as well as informing the leadership. Military intelligence officers use the widest range of technical means: listening devices, cameras, various radar and hydroacoustic equipment, satellites, and computer technology.
Another way to obtain information is to recruit and work with agents.
According to the nature of the tasks, military intelligence is divided into strategic, tactical and operational.
Strategic intelligence collects information hundreds and thousands of kilometers from state borders.
Tactical - observation, wiretapping. Its functions also include conducting interrogations and reconnaissance in force.
Operational intelligence is focused on studying the area of alleged hostilities and assessing the military power of the enemy.
The activities of the GRU are completely classified. The public knows nothing about the size of the department, the number of operations carried out and the costs of maintaining it.
The only person who disclosed information about domestic military intelligence was an ex-employee of the legal residency of the GRU of the USSR in Geneva, the author of the books Icebreaker and Aquarium, defector Vladimir Rezun, known in literary circles as Viktor Suvorov.
In the mid-1990s, information appeared in the media that Rezun was sentenced to death in absentia for his activities.
Restored potential
Intelligence historian, writer Gennady Sokolov, in an interview with RT, noted that Soviet and Russian military intelligence officers have earned great respect from colleagues from Western countries.
“Officers involved in military intelligence are professionals of the highest class who do their job regardless of political intricacies.
Military intelligence works in all branches of the military and is subordinate to Moscow (meaning the GRU - ed.),” Sokolov stressed.
The expert drew attention to the fact that military intelligence is the customer and operator of high-tech products, which then find application in the civilian sector (microchips, photo and video cameras, telephone communications, IT systems, satellite navigation systems). Military intelligence is, in a sense, a catalyst for Russia's scientific and technological progress.
Sokolov stated that in the 1990s, the potential of Russia's military intelligence decreased significantly. However, its large-scale regeneration soon began.
“I believe that today our country has regained lost positions. If you read the analytics, the West has also lost a lot and is now hastily catching up,” Sokolov said.
He recalled that in the 1990s, intelligence units focused on collecting information about Russia were disbanded in NATO member countries, and the most experienced personnel retired. In the 2000s, there were no changes and serious attention was still not paid to the Russian Federation.
“Our GRU and SVR have been working very rhythmically and purposefully for the past 15 years. In view of the current confrontation with the West, I think that work has increased not with us, but with them,” the expert noted.
In November 2013, Russian military intelligence will celebrate its 95th anniversary. Despite the fact that this day is recognized in Russia as her birthday, the history of the Russian special services is rooted in the deep past. Nevertheless, on November 5, 1918, a document was signed on the creation of a structure that is now one of the most serious among similar services in the world.
It was a numerous, competent, technically equipped unit. His work is today considered the most effective among equals. This structure is called the GRU -. Currently, it functions under the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces.
Confrontation between the GRU and the KGB
Since its inception, Russian military intelligence has been in the role of a stepdaughter competing with the KGB, constantly humiliated by the authorities. The origins of hostility are obvious: the founding father of this military structure is Mr. Trotsky, who signed the historic order dated 04.11.18.
With his light hand in the structure of the Red Army, or rather, its Field Headquarters, the same Registration Directorate appeared, which became the prototype of the current GRU. Moreover, Semyon Aralov became the main intelligence officer of the country with the same light hand. Pyatakov, who was later recognized as a renegade, also managed to check in at the administration.
Secrets and secrets of military intelligence
Any society presupposes the presence of secrets that must remain inviolable. At the same time, any “fruit” remains sweet at all times, and, therefore, arouses curiosity. Russia is no exception. It can be safely called one of the largest players in international intelligence.
All states conduct intelligence activities that are carefully hidden and shrouded in a veil of impenetrable secrecy. It naturally follows from the purpose of intelligence, the purpose of which is:
discovering and revealing the secrets of other countries,
carrying out measures to protect the secrets of their own state.
The GRU is a secret organization. Only occasionally do some secrets come up, or rather, they are allowed to come up. It is difficult to even guess about the scale of this organization. The GRU has enough merit, however, as one would expect, the documentation associated with a particular operation carried out is destroyed without a trace in order to conspire and maintain secrecy.
It has always been so. This does not allow anyone to insist on the complete reliability of those historical facts that contain information about the origins of military intelligence. Any researcher who decides to devote a work to the history of intelligence, as a pioneer, is ready to face an incredible amount of difficulties. The reconstruction of events, structures, tasks and goals of military intelligence agencies always raises doubts, no matter what period of time the researcher is interested in.
Profession of antiquity
As is commonly believed, there are not too many ancient professions on earth, but military intelligence is one of them. This service is mentioned in the Bible. In one form or another, ancient epics, legends different peoples. There is information about intelligence in the epic of the ancient Sumerians. The Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh contains a description of professional scouts. It is also mentioned in the ancient Indian Arthashastra.
Military intelligence appeared simultaneously with the formation of statehood, as an integral part of public life, and with the emergence of centralized states, it was transformed into a specialized state body, an independent service that could appear only if there was a developed independent state structure and developed foreign policy ties.
From the very beginning, its purpose was to implement a set of measures that make it possible to obtain and properly process important and reliable information about both the current and potential enemy. Intelligence is interested in:
enemy military resources
his combat potential,
his perceived vulnerability,
possible theater of operations and so on.
Ancient Russia: the origins of Russian military intelligence
The origins of modern Russian military intelligence are rooted in the distant past - in the period Ancient Russia. It was then that military intelligence in our understanding appeared. She performed only tactical military tasks for various reasons.
The military strategist and tactician of those times did not have a broad outlook. Certain difficulties were caused by the movement of a trusted person around the country and the world due to feudal fragmentation. Any trip was fraught with the danger of being attacked by various kinds of robbery people, services of the "high road". Even the letters issued by the structures that “protected” the merchants and the elite did not play a special role.
Reconnaissance, limited in this sense, was carried out old Russian princes who organized raids and campaigns in order to capture neighboring territories. Alexander Nevsky, who chose the strategy of neutrality with the Khan's Horde, used strategic intelligence reports in his activities, while actively fighting the German knights. He was the director of the conditional foreign intelligence service and at the same time the minister of defense. Thus, the activities of the intelligence officer and the diplomat were combined into one. This continued almost until the very beginning of the last century.
The history of Russian military intelligence knew both heroes and traitors. A huge role is assigned to it, but the main turning point came in the 19th century, under which he created a system of ministries, highlighting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was this ministry that became the successor to the Petrine Collegium of Foreign Affairs. The ministry was also engaged in foreign intelligence, obtaining information through its missions and representations in foreign countries.
Even at the turn of the 20th century, Russian foreign intelligence continued. Not only political and economic, but also military information flowed into the office of this ministry from abroad.
Sources:
Zayakin B.N. " Short story Russian military intelligence
Peregudova Z.I. Political investigation of Russia Pidzharenko A.M. History and secrets of criminal and political investigation. - K .: "Yurinform", 1994. - 395s.
Iosif Linder and Sergey Churkin "History of special services Russia X-XX centuries"
Mikhail Alekseev “Russian military intelligence. From Rurik to Nicholas II"
Oleg Khlobustov “State security from Alexander I to Putin. 200 years of secret war"
Veniamin Grazhul "Secrets of the gallant age. Espionage under Peter I and Catherine II"
Alexander Kolpakidi and Alexander Sever "Special Services of the Russian Empire"
History shows that the improvement of the means of armed struggle has a significant impact on the forms and methods of combat operations. The latter, however, transform the content of the battle and allow military formations to decide more challenging tasks. Without a doubt, changing the forms and methods of combat operations directly depends on the main vectors of technological progress. For example, in modern conditions, one of the defining vectors of technical progress is the sphere of informatization, which, as already mentioned, has a significant impact on the development of forms and methods of reconnaissance of combined arms formations.
- one of the most ancient types of support for troops. Already at the dawn of the birth of military affairs, the generals were convinced that without knowing the enemy, revealing his forces and means, the plan of action, as well as the conditions of the area where the battle was to be fought, it was impossible to succeed. The original methods of reconnaissance were observation and eavesdropping, the capture of a prisoner who could provide valuable information about the location, and, possibly, the enemy’s intention. Subsequently, these three methods were supplemented by others - search and ambush.
The search, in contrast to observation, pursued a more active goal - to penetrate into the location of enemy objects, to capture samples of weapons, a prisoner. Intelligence became especially difficult in the Second world war. By type, intelligence was divided into operational, tactical, combat and special.
Operational intelligence was organized by the high command. It could be conducted by aviation, mobile troops and radio equipment. The organization of tactical reconnaissance was entrusted to the commanders of formations and military units. Combat reconnaissance was conducted in direct contact with the enemy and during the battle. The chiefs of military branches and services acted as organizers of special intelligence.
For tactical reconnaissance, it was planned to use reconnaissance detachments, separate reconnaissance groups, patrols and patrols, as well as foot reconnaissance units allocated from platoons of mounted and foot reconnaissance of rifle regiments, separate reconnaissance battalions, rifle, tank and motorcycle battalions of mechanized corps.
During the war, adjustments were made to the classification of intelligence. It began to be divided into tactical (military) and operational (Field Charter of the Red Army. Project. M., 1943. P. 113). Tactical reconnaissance was carried out by the forces and means of all branches of the armed forces and services of formations and military units, operational - by the forces of armies and fronts with extensive use of radio and other reconnaissance means.
The types of reconnaissance expanded - practically every branch of the armed forces and special troops began to organize and conduct reconnaissance with their own forces and means. Each of these species began to be conducted in its own ways. Thus, reconnaissance in the interests of combined arms formations and military units was carried out by observation, search, ambush, raids and reconnaissance in force. The scale of searches and ambushes in can be judged by the following example. In the 93rd Rifle Corps of the 43rd Army, during the preparation of the offensive in December 1943, 126 searches were carried out, and 38 ambushes were also arranged. In January 1944, 128 searches and 18 ambushes were organized in the same corps on the defensive.
The methods of artillery reconnaissance during the war were: observation, search, notch, sound, optical, topographic reconnaissance. And engineering reconnaissance was carried out by observation, search, photographing. Chemical reconnaissance was carried out by observation, sample and laboratory research. Intelligence by means of communications was carried out by radio intelligence, eavesdropping on negotiations. Reconnaissance in combat, which was usually carried out before the start of an offensive, was widely used in the war. It was given the following tasks: to establish the true front line of the enemy's defense and the location of its firing points, joints and flanks, the fire system, and the capture of prisoners.
A lot of valuable information was obtained by sending behind enemy lines intelligence groups. They usually included 5-8 people, a radio operator with a radio station, 1-2 sappers and an interpreter. The group was sent to a depth of up to 30 km4. In general, it can be said that during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the art of intelligence was improved in several directions. One of them was the widespread use of various methods for obtaining (obtaining) intelligence data. Their choice was determined by the operational-tactical situation, the availability of reconnaissance forces and means, and the time factor. Experience shows that the most common methods of conducting reconnaissance were: observation, search, ambush, actions of reconnaissance groups behind enemy lines, reconnaissance in force. The next direction in improving the organization of obtaining the necessary intelligence data was manifested in the fact that special intelligence (artillery, engineering, chemical, communications) received significant development, air and sea (in coastal areas) intelligence, as well as information obtained by partisans, were used more quickly and more fully. and border troops (in initial period wars).
During the war, there was a tendency to combine various types of intelligence into a single system. For example, communications reconnaissance combined reconnaissance and eavesdropping, while engineering reconnaissance was combined with combined arms and artillery reconnaissance. If in the first period of the war, engineering posts and observation points were located separately, then in the subsequent stages of the war they began to be combined with observation posts of other branches of the armed forces. During the Second World War, radio intelligence developed especially intensively. According to Halder, among the Germans it was up to 90 percent. all intelligence material received. Since the First World War, the role of aerial reconnaissance has been increasingly improved. Initially, it was carried out to a depth of 50-70 km, but during the Second World War its depth increased to 300 km.
If in the initial period it was conducted in the interests of military aviation, then in the second and third periods of the war it began to be conducted in the interests of combined arms formations, its intensity increased several times. So, in 1944-1945. the number of reconnaissance flights increased by more than 3 times, the area of photographing - by 18 times, the number of photographic documents - by 20 times8. The depth of reconnaissance by the forces of rifle military units and subunits also increased continuously during the war. This was due to the increase in their combat missions in the offensive. The requirement was that the depth of its conduct was 1.5-2 times the depth of the combat mission of the regiment (battalion).
In the regiment, reconnaissance was carried out to a depth of 6-8, in the battalion 2-4 km. In a battalion, reconnaissance was carried out with the expectation of obtaining data on the day of the battle, in a regiment - for a day - two, in a division - for two or three days. In connection with the increase in 5-7 times the exploration zone in modern conditions, its organization has become significantly more complicated. The zone of responsibility for tactical reconnaissance of a unit began to be subdivided into a detailed reconnaissance zone to a depth of 25 km, a surveillance reconnaissance zone to a depth of 100 km, and a rear reconnaissance zone in its own disposition of its troops up to 25 km10. The most intensive reconnaissance is conducted, of course, in the zone of detailed reconnaissance of the military unit and the lower one - in the area of surveillance reconnaissance. Special requirements were imposed on the opening of the enemy's fire system. In the Great Patriotic War, in the interests of effective artillery and air preparation for an attack, it was necessary to identify about 60-65 percent of targets to the depth of the enemy's main line of defense.
The degree of opening of its facilities in modern conditions should be up to 100 percent of nuclear attack weapons, precision weapons, RUK, ROK - up to 80-90 percent, command and control points for troops and weapons, air defense, electronic warfare, basing army aviation, PTS - up to 70 percent11. The requirements for reconnaissance have increased due to an increase in firing accuracy by 1.5-2.5 times, firing range - by 1.52, an increase in strike power - by 1.5-2 and maneuverability - by 1.4-1.9 times . The depth of reconnaissance in the interests of fire damage must be increased in a battalion - up to 5 km, in a regiment - up to 10, in a division - up to 25 km, and in the interests of assessing the situation - in a battalion - up to 10, a regiment - up to 25, in a division - up to 100 km. The timing of the passage of intelligence information needs to be increased for primary objects - in a formation, a military unit - up to 3 minutes, for important objects - in a formation - up to 10 minutes and a unit - up to 5 minutes, for other objects - from 2 to 30 minutes.
During local wars and armed conflicts of the 50-90s of the twentieth century. the following shortcomings in the organization of intelligence were revealed: - discrepancy between the organizational structure of intelligence formations and the nature of the tasks assigned; - insufficient staffing of reconnaissance military units and subunits with personnel, especially in scarce specialties, as well as new models of equipment, special cars, portable reconnaissance equipment, night vision devices, small-sized radio stations; - low efficiency of the mutual exchange of information, the lack of automated channels for transmitting information, as well as an automated system for obtaining intelligence information, which leads to an increase in the time for processing information; - the complex step-by-step nature of the intelligence management system, the fragmented intelligence system of multi-departmental formations; - weak coordination of the joint functioning of reconnaissance with the systems of combat control and fire destruction; - indistinct interaction of reconnaissance agencies with combat control and fire destruction systems; - indistinct interaction of reconnaissance agencies with supporting artillery due to the lack of freelance artillery spotters and aircraft controllers; - weak skills of commanders of platoons, squads, groups in orienting on the map, especially in the mountains and at night; - insufficient accuracy in determining the coordinates of detected targets; - untrained commanders of intelligence agencies in the use of coded maps and negotiation tables.
As a result, the current requirements for intelligence are expressed in the task of increasing the independence of the intelligence systems of each military instance, ensuring the possibility of the integrated use of intelligence assets, the efficiency of managing its systems and assets, eliminating the multi-stage flow of information within the headquarters, ensuring the full deployment and continuous operation of the tactical intelligence system, ensuring the least time spent on opening objects and transmitting information, to achieve maximum efficiency of opening objects and guaranteed reliability, accurate determination of the coordinates of targets (objects) in any physical and geographical conditions and at any time of the year and day; to conduct reconnaissance from its territory to the depth of reach of its weapons, to achieve an increasing introduction of automated information processing14. In the future, methods of conducting reconnaissance will be improved more and more, among them, surveillance using television equipment, radar surveillance, monitoring of objects using SAR, conjugated surveillance, combined surveillance, and volumetric surveillance will find more and more widespread use.
In order to increase the effectiveness of intelligence, it is necessary to improve the existing forces and means of reconnaissance and its control; create new, more advanced technical means of reconnaissance, especially automated ones; to increase the efficiency of the reconnaissance structure, to interface its functioning with the system of combat command and control and fire destruction; clarify the composition of sets of reconnaissance bodies in various military formations, optimize their organizational structure, bring it into line with the new model of functioning; to seek improved methods of work of the intelligence control bodies, the forms and methods of conducting it, and to increase the effectiveness of the combat functions of the intelligence agencies.
One of the ways to increase the effectiveness of reconnaissance is to apply the zonal principle of distribution of responsibility for reconnaissance and destruction of enemy targets, the establishment for each control link of clear boundaries of responsibility for the reliability of determining the coordinates of enemy targets and their reliable defeat.
There is no doubt that modern and future wars- these are wars of intelligence, while it is necessary to proceed from the fact that intelligence is the key to achieving success in any battle. At the present time, and this can be said with full confidence, the technological revolution has become one of the main directions in the development of intelligence. Purposefully placed emphasis on "technology wars" while concentrating the main resources on the development of the most advanced, high-tech systems that can change the forms and methods of intelligence. The adoption of new reconnaissance means, together with the provision of advanced control systems, has a fundamental impact on reconnaissance, making it more comprehensive, timely and reliable.
Among the promising areas for the introduction of technical solutions include such as high-speed computers of the latest generations, tracking sensors on new physical principles, systems with elements of artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles, etc. Advanced technical solutions and technologies created and developed on the basis of the principle of a single information and communication space are being introduced into the management and information work of reconnaissance military units. Seems that fighting will not just be high-tech, but first of all should be united by a single information and communication space, and this will require the unification of all participants in the operation “within the framework” of the upcoming hostilities, providing for the provision of accurate and timely data on the situation on the battlefield and ensuring the defeat of objects and targets enemy in real time.
At the same time, the principle "single information and communication space" should significantly affect both the effectiveness of the collection, processing and distribution of intelligence information, as well as the forms and methods of organizing and conducting intelligence, which ultimately will allow the formation of a truly effective intelligence system and ensure complete information superiority over the enemy. The multiple increase in the information flow necessitates the creation of a fundamentally new system collection, processing and distribution of information. For example, during the First World War, a telegraph message made it possible to transmit up to 30 words per minute, the advent of radio increased the exchange rate by 2 times. The use of computers in military affairs made it possible to switch to electronic document management, which, in turn, increased the volume of information transmitted thousands of times.
Currently, an infrastructure is being created that makes it possible to logically combine control points into a single departmental multiservice network, i.e., each object will be connected to each other via digital channels from 2 megabits per second and higher. However, a large number of reconnaissance subsystems (only in a combined arms formation is reconnaissance by forces and means of six types of troops: combined arms, artillery, engineering, RKhBZ, air defense, electronic warfare), as well as technical and logistic support using different intelligence data transmission networks, are not able to provide the required level of information exchange, which not only complicates the "vertical" interaction (between reconnaissance assets and command posts), but also makes practically impossible the "horizontal" interaction (between reconnaissance assets and weapons carriers).
The deployment of promising systems and means developed in accordance with the implementation of the principle of "conducting hostilities in a single information and communication space" will provide free access to intelligence information, and not to a huge amount of various data obtained from all types of intelligence. The basis for achieving new capabilities will be, first of all, the deployment of a promising automated system for collecting, processing and distributing intelligence information. The main principle of the new structure is to ensure constant communication between any two consumers at any time and in any place. The solution is seen in the adoption of a unified tactical level control system (ESU TK). ESU TK is designed to solve in an automated mode the main tasks of ensuring continuous, stable and covert command and control of troops (forces) and weapons when solving combat missions under conditions of fire, electronic and information confrontation, and during the redeployment of troops, as well as ensuring the collection, processing and communicating information in order to timely recognize the enemy's plans and the degree of threats military units and brigade units.
This will ensure the required level of interaction through the implementation of consumer access to optoelectronic, radar, radio and electronic intelligence, aerial and other types of data on a time scale close to real, as well as through the formation of a single spatio-temporal situation on the battlefield; enable the provision of the necessary information to the interested official at the right time, but only within the framework of access to the authorized flow of information; use metadata systems to ensure the required level of information exchange through the use of unified formats for the presentation and processing of information; to form an integrated system of reconnaissance and target designation; conduct combat operations in a single information and communication space; provide access to participants in hostilities to the data of all reconnaissance assets located on the network, in accordance with their intended purpose; organize direct communication channels and transfer intelligence directly to weapons of destruction.
These measures will allow interested officials to gain access to all available information to increase the validity and expediency of their decisions, shorten the management cycle, increase the level of situational awareness, intelligence integration and system survivability, and ensure the self-sufficiency of motorized rifle brigades in combat operations. But even the adoption of the ESU TK, as it seems to us, will not entail the emergence of fundamentally new forms and methods of reconnaissance of combined arms formations. Each type of intelligence has its own methods of conducting. For example, for aerial reconnaissance posts, this is reconnaissance of a route, area, object, etc.; for military reconnaissance - reconnaissance patrols, observation posts, etc. At the same time, existing reconnaissance methods will receive new content due to their integration, as well as the integration of all reconnaissance means into a single system.
The implementation of the principle of "conducting combat operations in a single information and communication space" will allow us to switch to conducting reconnaissance in the form of joint (complex) reconnaissance operations by diverse forces using various methods of reconnaissance activities. At the same time, the main changes will be a reduction in the time cycle, that is, the speed of coverage of the target area by a means that has a large coverage area and low accuracy in determining coordinates, as well as setting (retargeting) refined tasks for additional reconnaissance by high-precision reconnaissance means. Thus, the time of reconnaissance of enemy targets will be reduced. It is necessary for intelligence means to exchange information with each other (combining them with a network).
It becomes possible to apply the principle of "synergistic effect", when the total effect of the interaction of two or more factors is characterized by the fact that their action significantly exceeds the effect of each individual component in the form of their simple sum. Aristotle said: "The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts." By combining reconnaissance assets into a single system, the field of view (coverage) angle and resolution are increased, the speed of redirection of assets is reduced, reconnaissance is ensured at any time of the day in any weather conditions, etc., and the shortcomings of each individual asset are reduced. Increasing reconnaissance capabilities will make it possible to ensure effective combat operations to solve assigned tasks, to hit any targets in any weather conditions, day and night, in any situation. To accomplish these tasks, it is necessary to create an effective and comprehensive intelligence system that provides for the integration of all its assets into a single reconnaissance and strike network on a temporary basis, their integration both vertically and horizontally, as well as the implementation of new principles of reconnaissance support for combat operations.
I. VOROBYOV, V. KISELEV
Modern intelligence includes methods of forecasting based on real data and studying the capabilities, strategies and methods of implementing the enemy. Intelligence can be of several types: military, commercial (industrial). AT Everyday life there are methods of personal intelligence of an individual (business competitor, spouse, etc.).
The theory and practice of collecting intelligence information about the enemy (competitor) should provide security and some advantages in the political, military, economic or personal field. Intelligence is carried out either by explicit methods of interception and data analysis (open sources mass media, eavesdropping on foreign radio channels, monitoring military satellites, etc.), or secret, falling under the definition of "espionage", i.e. secret search for information.
Monitoring of the activities of a group of people or one individual is carried out on the basis of a wide range available explicit, hidden information sources (including the recording of Skype voice messages, social networks, mail, etc.). Intelligence operations are necessary for the formation of correct ideas about the strategic orientation of organizations and states. At the same time, monitoring is carried out under the leadership of the state, military or commercial organization, personal initiative.
A bit of history?
The principles of intelligence activity arose in antiquity to meet public needs - the information received from informants helped to achieve the desired stability of national security. Features of espionage, as well as intelligence, helped Indian and Chinese strategists maintain their influence for more than one century.
It is also known for certain that the first world civilizations actively used intelligence methods to maintain military power. So, for example, in ancient Egypt, the Hittite empire, as well as in Babylon, Assyria, there were entire intelligence organizations that informed the authorities about the intentions and changes in the political orientation of neighboring countries and peoples. Such information was collected in various ways and used in various spheres of the life support of empires. At the same time, informants at all times were generously rewarded not only with a monetary equivalent, but also with government privileges.
The ancient Egyptians spent decades perfecting and honing their intelligence system. The Persian ruler Darius I contributed to the creation of a specialized state intelligence structure, which allowed him to control a huge country with the help of separate elements of control. At the same time, this structure developed along with the development of public administration. As a result, an extensive intelligence network of informants was created to manage and direct informants.
Hellenistic period
Alexander the Great, who conquered all of Asia, created the first counterintelligence organization in history, which extended to all the territories he conquered. Thus, the ruler was always aware of the reasons for the discontent of his subjects and had the opportunity to promptly eliminate instigators and rebels, while maintaining peace and tranquility in the country.
classical period
The first emperor Octavian, based on the history of ancient Egypt and a similar model for organizing an information service, created a secret police. The idea of creating security agencies was taken from the history of Alexandria. At the same time, the commander of the organs was a perfect, who ensured public order in the country, he was engaged in the prevention of extinguishing fires, informed the government about the riots and their instigators. Over time, the Roman Empire created a new structure in the army - special services that confronted external and internal enemies.
In the 70s of the first century BC. The Roman legions under the command of Gnaeus Pompey managed to penetrate into the heart of Asia and conquer vast territories. All this became real only after the introduction and improvement of models of reconnaissance operations.
Middle Ages
Byzantium for the first time introduces a counter regime aimed at reconnaissance of the political orientation of the barbarians. At the same time, precautions are being taken to keep peace in the territory of the New Rome. At the same time, all foreign ambassadors, numerous servants and translators were instructed to inform the leadership of the empire about possible attacks and the nuances of the strategic moves of enemies.
After 476, when the Western Roman Empire ceased to exist, the functions of the secret services began to be concentrated in the hands of representatives catholic church. Note that all the activities of the intelligence of that time, in contrast to the Byzantine intelligence, were aimed at combating heresy, counteracting anti-state ideologists who rebelled against the prevailing tendencies of theocratic teachings of the church doctrine of the Pope.
Intelligence received particular development during the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks. Fearing a re-invasion, the Pope tried by any means to trace the tactics of the Sultan. Then, as a result of the incident, the Inquisition intensified in the Iberian Peninsula. As a result - a successful unification with Spain in 1492, as well as the discovery of new "worlds", in particular the well-known campaign of Christopher Columbus.
With the development of the Reformation, and then the counter-enlightenment, the secret intelligence services that were created during the time of the Roman Empire acquired a new modern, so to speak, secular style.
Russia
The first Russian tsar who created the political police was Ivan the Terrible. It was he who managed to realize the concept of the Roman Empire. In 1565, internal intelligence arose. The secret police, created after the tsar's decree "words and deeds", obliged every citizen of Russia to notify of the possible discontent of the people, as well as the intention to harm the tsar, his family or the Russian autocracy. Violation of this decree was punishable by death.
Nicholas I, after the uprising of the Semenovsky regiment in 1820, approved a project to create military police, and then a few years later issued a decree on the creation internal organs security.
The Russian guard, copying the experience of Germany and Austria, was created after the assassination of Alexander II. After the reorganization of the royal secret police at the beginning of the 20th century, Russia created 3 separate state structures: the gendarmerie, the department of police and security, and search parties.
Process Nuances
Intelligence is based on the requirements and needs of the client to obtain some information that will later help to successfully implement his plans and goals. These requirements (requests for proposals) are transferred to the intelligence spy agencies, which carry out the intelligence cycle and implement the structuring of the collected information to obtain the most truthful answer. At the same time, clients can indicate in which particular format they want to receive a response to their own request.
Information can be collected in several different ways: using human resources, software ( skype recording conversations, messages from chats, mail, etc.) or technology. At the same time, the information received has its own expiration date and after a while may lose its uniqueness and informativeness.
The exploration process itself includes a certain nuance of forecasting. Indeed, sometimes it is impossible to find out all the information, and then the time comes for analysts who, having collected bit by bit the information received, can link the data into a single whole and find out the essence of what is happening. Analysts, using several sources, either confirm the intercepted data, or refute them based on the use of special algorithms for trusting the informant.
Target Exploration Cycle
The reconnaissance cycle consists of 3 main parts:
- Collection of information.
- Data analysis.
- Definition of conclusions and communication of information to customers.
In the USA, there is a different cycle, consisting of 5 elements:
- defining information collection guidelines;
- data collection;
- data processing;
- Spread;
- usage.
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Every year on November 5, Russia celebrates the anniversary of the creation of military intelligence. On November 5, 1918, as part of the Field Headquarters of the Red Army in Petrograd, by order of the chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, Lev Trotsky, the Registration Directorate was formed to coordinate the efforts of all intelligence agencies of the army. Since that day, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has been conducting its history.
It was the Registration Directorate that became the prototype of the current central military intelligence control body - the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Today, the Main Intelligence Directorate is the most important component of strengthening the state. This structure contains all existing species intelligence - strategic, undercover, including illegal, technical, economic, space and military, better known as the GRU special forces.
As part of other military units, military intelligence also existed in tsarist Russia. But as a separate unit, the military intelligence of the Russian Federation has been counting its history since November 5, 1918.
History of military intelligence
Back in the days Kievan Rus intelligence was a matter of national importance. Ambassadors, messengers, merchants, residents of the border regions and military detachments were involved in collecting data. Later, already under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1654, the Order of Secret Affairs was founded - the prototype of the intelligence department of that time. In the Military Regulations of 1716, Peter I brought the legislative and legal framework for intelligence work. Therefore, the profession of a scout is considered one of the oldest on earth.
In January 1810, on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly, the Secret Affairs Expedition was created under the Ministry of War, this was during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, and in January 1812 this structure was renamed the Special Office under the Minister of War. The special office solved the most important tasks:
- conducting strategic intelligence (gathering strategically important secret information abroad)
- operational-tactical intelligence (collection of data on enemy troops on the borders of Russia)
- counterintelligence (identification and neutralization of enemy agents)
During the Great Patriotic War, the role of military intelligence officers was invaluable. In the first six months of the war alone, about 10 thousand people were thrown behind enemy lines, including a significant number of intelligence officers with radio transmitters.
Military intelligence agencies created partisan detachments behind enemy lines. The activities of Soviet intelligence during the Great Patriotic War were highly appreciated by prominent military leaders and commanders, future Marshals of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, A. M. Vasilevsky, K. K. Rokossovsky, I. S. Konev, I. Kh. Bagramyan, N I. Krylov, General of the Army S. M. Shtemenko and many others.
The Great Patriotic War was a severe test for military intelligence, and it withstood it with dignity. During the war, it developed efficient system leadership of intelligence, the correct organizational structure of its combat organs, their reasonable and effective use in various types of support for combat operations.
Glorious combat traditions of military intelligence have developed and a large detachment of highly qualified intelligence officers has been created, who skillfully used the rich combat experience and traditions in the post-war period. These traditions have always been and are: devotion to one's Motherland and people, loyalty to the oath, courage, fortitude to the point of self-sacrifice in the performance of combat missions.
All this has already become the heroic history of our people in the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War. The data obtained by military intelligence has repeatedly played a decisive role in making decisions by the country's top leadership to ensure its security. Soviet and then Russian military intelligence convincingly demonstrated its indispensability and effectiveness during crises in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Chechnya and other "hot spots".
692 military intelligence officers were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union and Heroes of the Russian Federation for courage and heroism shown in carrying out tasks to ensure the national security of the country.
Modern military intelligence
Military intelligence is a set of measures for obtaining and processing data on an active or potential enemy, his military resources, combat capabilities and vulnerabilities, as well as on the theater of operations.
Modern military intelligence is divided into:
- tactical intelligence
- strategic intelligence
- counterintelligence
tactical intelligence ensures the combat operations of troops at the tactical level, i.e. within formations, units and subunits in contact with the enemy. It reveals information about the enemy's combat capabilities (including his plans), his vulnerability and the area of operations (including terrain and weather conditions), which facilitates the adoption by the commander and his headquarters of optimal decisions on planning and conducting combat operations.
This data is either obtained by regular forces and means, or received from a superior. Typically, intelligence information is obtained by interviewing local residents, interrogating prisoners and defectors, intercepting information transmitted by electronic means, studying documents, equipment and weapons, radar, ground, captured from the enemy. aerial reconnaissance and aerial reconnaissance.
strategic intelligence collects and studies information about opportunities, vulnerabilities and plans foreign countries. It is carried out in the interests supreme bodies state power and military leadership, and the data it produces are used to develop a foreign policy course, plan and implement national security measures in peacetime and for strategic operations in time of war.
counterintelligence includes all active and passive measures carried out by state bodies in order to combat the intelligence of other states. It ensures the security of classified information, equipment, objects and persons related to state secrets.
The tasks of counterintelligence include the suppression of subversive activities carried out by both foreign powers and disloyal elements within the country and in the territories controlled by it.
Now military intelligence is part of the structure of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Intelligence is the "eyes and ears" of the armed forces, the main means of obtaining information.
In the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, in his article on military intelligence, the Chief of the General Staff Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army N. Makarov, congratulated the military intelligence officers on their upcoming professional holiday, in particular, he said:
"As the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, I can state with full responsibility that the GRU, for all the versatility of its activities, successfully copes with the functions assigned to it, reliably guards the interests of the state and is rightfully considered - contrary to the wishes of our enemies - one of the most authoritative and effectively, and sometimes effectively working intelligence agencies of the world."
N. Makarov also touched upon the process of forming a new look for the Russian Armed Forces, which also affected the GRU. "Recently, a number of Russian media have been groundless allegations about the "collapse" and "incapacity" of the GRU. All reorganization measures in the GRU were carried out taking into account the increased requirements for military intelligence, the need to increase the efficiency of the production operational and technical units, as well as information and analytical service," the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces stated.
In his congratulatory article, N. Makarov stressed that the GRU of the General Staff is one of the few that have undergone reform without significant changes. This refers to changes in terms of weakening operational units. The reform of the GRU freed him from the overhang of numerous support units in Moscow in order to concentrate as much as possible on operational work.
“Without any doubt, we can say that military intelligence, as before, remains the vanguard of the Armed Forces and continues to be, figuratively speaking, their “eyes and ears.” Of course, the main value of intelligence has always been and is people - intelligence officers, employees and civilian specialists. At all times they have always been distinguished by high professionalism, loyalty to the Fatherland, readiness to perform tasks in any conditions of the situation, including at risk to life. Many of them were awarded state awards for specific results of work, which, taking into account the specifics of intelligence activities, it is impossible to speak openly." - notes N. Makarov in his article.
N. Makarov ends his article with the following congratulatory words: “At present, military intelligence officers are located in almost all areas of crisis situations where Russia’s interests are affected, ensuring its national security with their daily military work. I would like to congratulate veterans, military intelligence officers who are still , as they say, "work in the field", happy professional holiday. I wish everyone good health, happiness, prosperity, optimism, confidence in the future and new victories on the invisible front."
The editorial staff of the Information Agency "Arms of Russia" congratulates military intelligence officers - fighters of the advanced detachment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on their professional holiday.
