Russian Civil-Military Relations (Military Strategy and Operational Art)

352 Pages·2009·2.78 MB·English

by  Robert Brannon

Russian Civil-Military Relations
Robert Brannon
Russian Civil-MilitaRy Relations
Comes at just the right time. An important work that answers vital questions about
Russian motives and military actions today.
James Howcroft, united states Marine Corps
At a time of global economic crisis and sharply changing international relationships,
Brannon’s perceptive evaluation of civilian-military relations within the Russian
Federation permits readers to develop a clearer and more profound appreciation
of the challenges faced by the United States and its Western Allies as they face the
uncertainties of the future.
David M. Glantz, the Citadel, Charleston, usa
Robert Brannon has produced an insightful, concise account of the evolution of
civil-military relations in post-Soviet Russia. He draws well on the theoretical
literature on civil-military relations and carefully shows how and to what extent
civilian authority was actually exercised over Russia’s armed forces in the decade
after the Soviet regime collapsed. This book is a valuable contribution to the
literature and will be very useful for courses on Russian politics and on civil-
military relations.
Mark Kramer, Harvard university, usa
Military strategy and operational art
edited by Professor Howard M. Hensel, air War College, usa
the ashgate series on Military strategy and operational art analyzes and assesses
the synergistic interrelationship between joint and combined military operations,
national military strategy, grand strategy, and national political objectives in
peacetime, as well as during periods of armed conflict. In doing so, the series
highlights how various patterns of civil–military relations, as well as styles of
political and military leadership influence the outcome of armed conflicts. In
addition, the series highlights both the advantages and challenges associated with
the joint and combined use of military forces involved in humanitarian relief, nation
building, and peacekeeping operations, as well as across the spectrum of conflict
extending from limited conflicts fought for limited political objectives to total war
fought for unlimited objectives. Finally, the series highlights the complexity and
challenges associated with insurgency and counter-insurgency operations, as well
as conventional operations and operations involving the possible use of weapons
of mass destruction.
also in this series:
Managing Civil-Military Cooperation
edited by sebastiaan J.H. Rietjens and Myriame t.i.B. Bollen
isBn 978 0 7546 7281 4
Securing the State
Reforming the National Security Decisionmaking
Process at the Civil-Military Nexus
Christopher P. Gibson
isBn 978 0 7546 7290 6
Russian Civil-Military Relations
RoBeRt BRannon
College of International and Security Studies,
George C. Marshall European Center, Germany
© Robert Brannon 2009
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Robert Brannon has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents act, 1988,
to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court east suite 420
union Road 101 Cherry street
Farnham Burlington
surrey, Gu9 7Pt vt 05401-4405
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www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Brannon, Robert Burl
Russian civil-military relations. - (Military strategy and
operational art)
1. Civil-military relations - Russia (Federation)
2. Civil-military relations - Russia (Federation) - Case
studies 3. Russia (Federation) - Military policy
i. title
322.5'0947

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brannon, Robert (Robert Burl), 1950-
Russian civil-military relations / by Robert Brannon.
p. cm. -- (Military strategy and operational art)
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-0-7546-7591-4
1. Civil-military relations--Russia (Federation) 2. Russia (Federation)--Politics and
government--1991- i. title.
Jn6693.5.C58B73 2009
322'.50947--dc22
09ANSHT 2008045693

isBn 978 0 7546 7591 4
Contents
List of Figures vii
Dedication viii
About the Author ix
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgements xv
1 Russian Civil-Military Relations in transition 1
2 Military Doctrine and security strategy in Modern Russia 15
3 Past as Prologue: setting the scene, 1996-1998 47
4 Case i: the Russians are Coming!
the Race to Pristina airport, June 1999 73
5 Case ii: the second Road to War in Chechnya: Dagestan,
July-september 1999 99
6 Case iii: High seas tragedy and Military

Melodrama: the submarine Kursk tragedy, august 2000 131
7 Conclusions 165
epilogue: Russia and Georgia: the summer of 2008 187
Appendices 191
Appendix A Russian Military Doctrine, November 1993 193
Appendix B Russian National Security Policy, December 1997 215
Appendix C The World Ocean: Concept Paper for Russia’s Naval Program 243
Appendix D Russian National Security Concept, January 2000 269
Appendix E Russian Military Doctrine, April 2000 287
Bibliography 311
Index 329
This page has been left blank intentionally
list of Figures
1.1 Principal-agent Relationship 2
2.1 national security strategy Framework 22
Dedication
this book is dedicated to igor sutyagin, who languishes today in a Russian prison
cell for a crime he did not commit. igor is a professional research scientist who
worked closely with me in Moscow in my efforts to try to find clear and transparent
reasons for some of the more inexplicable actions that happened in the chaotic later
years of Boris yeltsin’s presidency. sutyagin fell victim to a modern purge aimed
at ridding Russia of an imagined threat from journalists and scientists, especially
those whose work was focused on the environmental legacies of the former soviet
union. it is my fervent hope that igor will someday once again breathe the fresh
air of freedom, reunited with his family and friends, acquitted of all charges and
free to practice his excellent skills in military research and analysis.
about the author
Dr. Brannon is a Professor of national security studies at the George C.
Marshall european Center’s College of international and security studies in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where he has served as Director of the
Program in advanced security studies, 2007-2008, the college’s largest and most
comprehensive resident program. Previously, he was Chief of naval operations
Chair and Professor of national security strategy at the national War College,
national Defense university, in Washington, D.C. Retired from active duty as a
Captain in the u.s. navy, he has had the usual service at sea and in command,
including assignments on the aircraft carrier uss MiDWay (Cv41), and in four
different patrol aviation squadrons, culminating with command of vP-45 while
deployed to Keflavik, Iceland. Shifting to service in political-military affairs, he
worked for three years at nato Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, helping to
draft and implement the first framework documents for the Partnership for Peace.
in June 2001, nearing three years of service at the american embassy in Moscow
as the u.s. naval attaché, he was unjustly expelled from the country in a round of
diplomatic reciprocity related to accusations of espionage. Captain Brannon was in
Russia during the economic crash of august 1998, the armed riots at the american
embassy in protest of nato’s military intervention in Kosovo in 1999, and the
submarine Kursk disaster on 12 august 2000. From 2001-2002, he was the senior
national security Fellow in residence at Harvard university’s Kennedy school of
Government. later, he was an international affairs Fellow at Mit in the seminar
XXi Washington D.C. Class of 2004. He served on the faculty at the national
War College for four years, where he developed and offered original courses in
Russian politics and civil-military relations, taught core curriculum courses in the
fundamentals of strategy and in international affairs, and led several field studies
exercises with students to Central asia and the southern Caucasus. Dr. Brannon
speaks, reads and writes in Russian, has a PhD in World Politics, Russian studies,
as well as an Ma in international affairs from the Catholic university of america
in Washington D.C. His research interests include civil-military relations in post-
authoritarian states, and writing a definitive book about the political-military
implications of the Russian submarine Kursk tragedy at sea in august 2000. Dr.
Brannon, who prefers to be called Bob, is married to the former stella Diana Boone
of atherton, California. they have three adult children (stefanie, Christopher, and
alexandra), one son-in-law (sam eigen), one daughter-in-law (Kimberly), and
two grandchildren (Kaitlin Rose and Jack vincent Brannon), all of whom live in
the united states.