RUSSIAN NAVAL INFANTRY, LATE 1990s - EARLY 2000s

The Russian Naval Infantry without a doubt remains an elite force within the Russian military. Indeed, its units are among the few forces Russia can depend on to perform reliably, alongside the VDV, the cornucopia of Spetsnaz forces, and a handful of MVD units. In fact, during the combat operations in Chechnya Naval Infantry units proved to be at least equal, and perhaps even superior, to the Russian airborne forces, especially when it came to dismounted operations in cities and mountains. NI troops are also among the few Russian forces that were not cited in connection with atrocities committed on the Chechen civilian population. This was due both thanks to their superior training and esprit de corps, but also to the mundane fact that, being one of the few truly combat-worthy forces at the Russian commanders' disposal, NI units were kept in reserve for actual combat operations and were not used for the morale-sapping "sweeps" of Chechen villages or manning roadblocks, activities during which many abuses and atrocities were committed.

NI has evolved considerably during the 1990s. The biggest change was the expansion of the supporting arms at the battalion level. This was in no small part due to the drive to offset the superior tactics and fieldcraft employed by the Chechen insurgents with superior firepower, including at company and platoon level. Brigade organization appears to be influenced by the 1980s experiments with various brigade organizations intended for corps-sized Operational Maneuver Groups (OMGs). All battalions are intended to be capable of independent operations, as indicated by their "separate" designation.

In spite of their elite status, NI was not spared the hardship caused by Russia's economic crisis. Over half of a brigade's battalions may be reduced in strength or cadred. It is common to maintain only 1 Assault Landing Battalion and 1 Naval Infantry Battalion at full strength, with the remaining units being either at 1/3 strength or cadred. The number of companies per each infantry battalion may have been officially reduced to 3 after 1996 due to personnel shortages. For operations in Chechnya, naval infantry brigades dispatched composite, albeit quite large, 1000+ strong, battalions, consisting of whatever battleworthy elements there were within the brigade, heavily reinforced with supporting arms. Due to shortage of funding, combat operations in Chechnya, and other disruptive factors, no two brigades (and perhaps no two battalions) are alike.

Naval Infantry's "core mission" remains amphibious assault. NI amphibious doctrine calls for Assault Landing battalion(s) to conduct a simultaneous heli- and hovercraft-borne assault against a beachhead, with the heliborne element attempting to envelop the defenders. Heavier, tank-reinforced naval infantry battalions constitute the second echelon, and are intended to expand the beachhead seized by the first echelon. Depending on the scale of the operation, a third echelon consisting of regular Ground Forces units may also be used. However, that doctrine is largely academic and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The Russian Navy's amphibious assault fleet has greatly deteriorated during the 1990s, with only a handful of ships remaining operational. Moreover, a brigade-sized amphibious operation (assuming sufficient sealift could be mustered) would likely consume most of the Russian Navy's annual fuel allowance. The Russian Navy is, however, capable of dispatching individual Alligator-class LSTs with reinforced NI company-sized elements as far afield as the Indian Ocean. During the latter stages of the Iraq war, there was some speculation on whether a Russian NI force might attempt a repeat of the 1999 "dash to Pristina" by establishing a miniature Russian occupation zone within Iraq, presumably after a disembarkation in Latakia and a road-march through Syria. Nevertheless, while Naval Infantry retains a residual force projection capability, for the foreseeable future its theater of operation are likely to be the various "hot spots" along Russia's unstable southern border. The recent establishment of a full brigade in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, in the immediate vicinity of Chechnya, is an indication of that trend.

The Russian Naval Infantry order of battle includes the following forces:

Northern Fleet: 60th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, Pechenga.
Pacific Fleet: 55th Naval Infantry Division, Vladivostok; 390th Naval Infantry Regiment, Slavyanka.
Baltic Fleet: 336th Guards Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, Baltiysk.
Caspian Sea Flotilla: 77th Guards Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, Kaspiysk.
Black Sea Fleet: 810th Separate Naval Infantry Regiment, Sevastopol; 382 Separate Naval Infantry Battalion, Temryuk.

Russian Separate Naval Infantry Brigade [otdelnaya brigada morskoy pekhoty, OBRMP], 2000
Unit Quality: Experienced, Morale 9
Brigade HQ, with 1 Command Stand, 1 BTR-80KSh TOC

3-4 Separate Naval Infantry Battalions [otdelnyy batalion morskoy pekhoty, OBMP], each with:
1 Battalion HQ, with 1 Command Stand, 1 APC
3-4 Naval Infantry Companies, each with 1 Command Infantry Stand, 1 Infantry Stand, 2 IFVs or APCs (see notes)
1 Mortar Battery, with 2 2B11 120mm mortar, 2 Gun Crew (ds), 2 Medium Truck
1 AGL Battery, with 2 AGS-17 stands, 1 APC
1 AT Battery, with 2 SPG-9 Stands, 2 AT-4 and/or AT-7 ATGM stands, 2 APCs
1 AA Battery, with 1 ZU-23-2 AA gun, 1 SA-16 Stand, 2 Medium Trucks

1-2 Separate Assault-Landing Battalions [desantno-shturmovyy batalion, DShB]
1 Battalion HQ, with 1 Command Stand, (1 APC - see notes)
3-4 Assault Landing Companies, each with 1 Command Infantry Stand, 1 Infantry Stand
1 Mortar Battery each with 2 82mm Mortar Stand,
1 AGL Battery, with 2 AGS-17 Stands
1 AT Battery, with 2 SPG-9 Stands, 2 AT-7 Stands

1-2 Tank Battalions
1 Battalion HQ, with 1 Command T-80
3-4? Tank Companies, each with: 1 Command T-80 MBT, 1 T-80 MBT

1 Separate Reconnaissance Battalion
3-6 Recon Stands, 3-6 BTR-80s?

1 Artillery Battalion, each with:
HQ Battery with: 1 Command Stand, 1 FO ACRV, 1 TOC ACRV, 1 Heavy Ammo Truck
2 2S1 Batteries, each with: 1 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm SP Howitzer, 1 Medium Ammo Truck
2 2S3 Batteries, each with: 1 2S3 Akatsiya 152mm SP Howitzer, 1 Medium Ammo Truck

1 Artillery Battalion
HQ Battery with: 1 Command Stand, 1 FO ACRV, 1 TOC ACRV
4 2S9 Batteries, each with: 1 2S9 Nona 120mm SP Gun-mortar, 1 Medium Ammo Truck

1 Anti-Tank Battalion, each with:
Battalion HQ, with: 1 Command Stand, 1 BRDM-2
AT Gun Battery, with: 2 MT-12 100mm AT Guns, 2 Gun Crews (ds), 2 MT-LBs
ATGM Battery, with: 1  BRDM-2, 2 Konkurs-S (AT-5 on BRDM-2 chassis) or 2 Shturm-S (AT-6 on MT-LB chassis)

1 AA Battery:
1 ZSU-23-4, 1 SA-13?

Notes:
1. The organization above is only a guideline since, as noted above, there is considerable variance between individual NI units, particularly when they are deployed in the field.

2. Infantry and Command Infantry stands are considered to have integral RPG-7 medium AT weapons, RPG-18/22/26 light AT weapons, and RPO Shmel flamethrowing rocket launchers. To reflect the increase of heavy weapons allocation to individual infantry companies, assign a Weapons Stand (and an APC) to each company, and reduce the number of heavy weapons at battalion level.

3. Russian naval infantry no longer uses PT-76 amphibious tanks, but has not yet received a large number of T-80s. The second tank battalion is wartime only, with equipment in storage. A full-strength Naval Infantry Brigade may have up to 70-80 MBTs.

4. APCs are BTR-80s (in Assault Landing Battalions) or MT-LBs (in Naval Infantry Battalions). While the Naval Infantry is supposed to receive BMP-3 IFVs, in actuality few have been delivered, and it is far from certain such rearming will take place. BMP-3s may equip one company per battalion.

5. Assault Landing Battalions are organized for heli- or hovercraft-borne assaults, and all of their equipment is man-portable. However, they may also be deployed in a "heavy" role, with BTR-80s for the infantry units and trucks for support units.

6. The Reconnaissance Battalion is parachute-trained, and may have unit quality of Veteran, Morale 9 or 10.

7. Cadred and reduced-strength units have their unit quality and morale reduced by 1 level.

Mike J.
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