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Soviet Union [USSR] MILITARY SCIENCE
Although the party formulated doctrine and policy, military
science--the study and practice of armed conflict--was the preserve
of military professionals. According to Soviet military theorists,
military science was a system of knowledge dealing directly with
the nature and laws of armed conflict, the preparation of the armed
forces and the country for war, and the methods of waging war. It
comprised both the theory of military affairs and its practical
applications in combat. Military scientists studied and defined the
laws of armed conflict, which were said to be objective, i.e.,
independent of human consciousness. They also formulated subjective
interpretations of these laws, known as principles of military art.
Unlike doctrine, military science permitted differing views and
even debates among military professionals concerning the nature and
methods of armed combat.
The principal components of military science are military art,
subdivided into military strategy, operational art, and tactics;
the command and control of troops; the structuring (or development)
of the armed forces; training and indoctrination; military
economics; military geography and history; and the increasingly
important military-technical sciences, such as artillery science,
naval science, cybernetics, topography, and geodesy. A main
component of military science is military art, which focuses on the
theory and practice of conducting military actions on land, at sea,
and in the air.
Reputedly, scientific forecasting is one of the most important
functions of military science. Computer modeling and operations
research are used to predict the military-technical nature of
future wars and the evolution of military technology and of
military affairs in general. Forecasting provides valuable input
into military doctrine and can cause modification of doctrinal
pronouncements on the type of war the Soviet Union may have to
fight in years to come. Another key function of military science is
long-term planning for development and deployment of the most
effective weapons for future conflicts.
Like doctrine and policy, Soviet military science traced its
origins to Lenin's teachings on the defense of the socialist
motherland. Soviet military theorists credited Lenin not only with
laying the foundation of Soviet military doctrine and policy but
also with founding Soviet military science. Lenin also has played
a prominent role in developing Soviet military strategy. Lenin's
belief that political solutions would promote the spread of
communism better than would military ones and that armed conflict
was merely a continuation of politics by forcible means has
relegated military science to a subordinate role. Thus Soviet
military science was not autonomous but was, in fact, a handmaiden
of the party's military doctrine and policy.
Data as of May 1989
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