The General Staff (GS), as the central structure governing the army, exists in almost all countries of the world. This organization concentrates all the threads of control of the armed forces, which allows you to respond in time to any problems.
History of occurrence
Mankind has been at war with each other throughout history, but a central governing structure has appeared relatively recently. Even in ancient Rome, which created a unique and very effective fighting vehicle, the main control was carried out by legates and consuls. Already, on the basis of their requirements, they could distribute duties among other subordinates in order to better comply with the instructions of the Senate. The General Staff of the Armed Forces (Armed Forces) did not exist at that time, because of which there was no centralized command, somewhat reducing the effectiveness of the army.
Only in the Middle Ages did such a structure begin to appear, including several leaders responsible not only for the actions of the army on the battlefield, but also for its equipment, placement in a camp or in apartments (hence the word "quartermaster") and so on. The first prototype of the modern General Staff of the RF Armed Forces arose even under Peter I, but at that time it was not very well organized. Many experts believe that the year of the founding of the General Staff should be considered 1763, when during the reign of Catherine II, the army was led by a centralized body that was as close as possible (taking into account that era) to the modern General Staff. By the way, it was also not the most effective until 2004 and was engaged in a very wide range of tasks, usually not characteristic of such a structure. Now, the work of this body is clearly defined and devoid of everything that interferes with its basic functions, presented below.
What is the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The army is a very large and versatile structure, which needs excellent management in order for it to perform its functions. So, even good soldiers will not be able to do anything with the enemy if they do not have enough products, equipment, weapons and ammunition. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the development of science and re-equip the army with a certain regularity. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is engaged in precisely these issues, but among other things, it also directly supervises the formations on the battlefield, issues strategic plans and strengthens the country's defense with all its might.
Subordination structure
The full leadership of the army is a difficult task. And that is precisely why the General Staff includes several departments at once, each of which deals with its own issues, constantly interacting with “colleagues”. The President is considered the commander-in-chief of all the country's forces, and the Minister of Defense is subordinate to him, who, in turn, manages this structure. The General Staff includes:
- Directorates engaged in the direct management of units on the battlefield and in the territory of the location of troops.
- Intelligence and counterintelligence units that collect information and conduct their own actions as necessary.
- Departments of communications and electronic warfare (electronic warfare), providing their parts with the ability to control and depriving it of the enemy.
In addition to all this, there are specialized departments involved, for example, in unmanned vehicles, archival data, research and so on. A complete list of all departments and their functions is a military secret, which is quite logical.
Planning and management
According to the current legislation, in particular, Presidential Decree No. 631, this is one of the main functions of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. Within this framework, the planning and command structure is involved in organizing army operations in peacetime and wartime. She is also responsible for maintaining the required level of combat readiness and even has the right to authorize the use of nuclear weapons. Among other things, the Russian General Staff carries out work aimed at preventing the unconfirmed use of these missile options and conducts a general analysis of the current status of all existing units. Plans are being made to increase combat readiness, the implementation of which is also monitored by this structure. All this helps to increase the effectiveness of the army.
Country defense
This is another of the main functions that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is obliged to perform. Within this framework, a unified defense plan is created, which all army units must follow. This is under strict control. The General Staff is also engaged in the strategic deployment of units and their interaction with each other in order to obtain maximum efficiency in an acceptable time. Among other things, the General Staff is responsible for equipping the border and other territories with everything necessary to prevent possible aggression, and also counteracts terrorism. The latter is especially relevant, since radical organizations striving for their own goals are active in many countries of the world. The suppression of their work and the destruction of militants in this case can be a priority.
Mobilization
This structure develops plans for the recruitment of new soldiers and their deployment. Plans are being made to transfer the country to the military economy as soon as possible and to provide the army with everything necessary. In this framework, mobilization warehouses are being created, the filling and packaging of which is also monitored by the General Staff of the Russian Federation. In most cases, the location of such objects is carefully hidden, which allows them to be excluded from the objectives of the priority attacks of a potential enemy. At the same time, new deployable units will be able to access equipment and equipment in the required volumes, which will allow putting them into operation as quickly as possible. The mobilization warehouses are not updated too often so as not to unmask them, which is why long-obsolete weapons and equipment are being stored. Nevertheless, all of them are necessarily in good condition and ready for battle.
Intelligence and counterintelligence
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation includes structures that collect information both on the territory of the enemy and inside the country. Intelligence is divided into two main groups - strategic, designed to track any changes in the enemy’s territory and notify troops about it in a timely manner, and tactical, working directly on the line of contact with the enemy, detecting its hidden parts, ambushes, important objects, and so on. Counterintelligence works domestically, looking for enemy agents and neutralizing them in the most optimal way. Despite the fact that our country is not officially fighting with anyone now, this structure is constantly working, as well as the corresponding units of all other countries of the world.
Options and equipment
An important element of the combat readiness of the army, as mentioned above, is the full provision of each unit with everything necessary: equipment, equipment, weapons, ammunition, food, and so on. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of our country is also responsible for this. In addition, on an ongoing basis, monitoring of new technologies, weapons of a potential enemy, promising developments and any other aspects that can at least slightly increase the effectiveness of the army is carried out. As the production of everything listed on an industrial scale begins, the troops begin to receive new samples. Training in working with them is also part of the functions of this structure. The rearmament of the army is a very expensive undertaking, and therefore, in global volumes, this happens quite rarely. Most often, the “running-in” of new weapons or equipment is carried out in separate units, and only the most combat-ready units receive it. As soon as the necessary reserves are accumulated, it gradually begins to be supplied to the rest of the army.
Study and preparation
Even well-equipped troops may be completely unprepared due to insufficient training of personnel. To solve this problem, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation conducts classes, war games and any other actions aimed at improving the tactical and strategic literacy of all soldiers and officers. Units consisting mainly of draftees usually undergo only initial training, in which they gain basic battle skills. Personnel departments, which recruit professionals or super-conscripts, train much more actively. They constitute the main defense of the country and, despite their small numbers, can give odds to a much larger enemy.
Summary
Among other things, the General Staff can carry out any tasks that were assigned to it by the command and / or are indicated in various legislative acts. Detailed information on the activities of this body is classified, but a general idea can be obtained from the functions already listed. Similar structures work similarly in any other country in the world where there is at least some kind of army.