Whereas previous editions were an examination of historical Soviet-era forces, OPFOR SMARTbook 3: Russian Military, 3rd Ed. (OPFOR 3-3) is completely updated for 2025 focusing instead on present-day Russian Federation forces as observed in their third year of war on the battlefields of Ukraine. As such, OPFOR 3-3 represents perhaps the most comprehensive, up-to-date examination and analysis of Russian forces, operations and tactics available today. At 320 pages, OPFOR 3-3 chapters include the strategic environment (Russian strategic overview, Euro-Atlantic security environment, Russian threat assessment, Russia’s war on Ukraine, NATO enlargement), Russian military forces (historical overview, modern Russian military, joint strategic commands), Russian (SV) ground forces (organization, planning, command posts, control measures), reconnaissance and security, Russian “strike” actions (indirect fires, antitank fires, radio-electromagnetic battle, aerospace support, NBC), offensive actions (attack formations, subunit actions, large-scale combat, local wars & armed conflict), defensive actions (fundamentals, brigade/battalion defensives), and Russian equipment & capabilities. From the time of Peter the Great in the 17th and early 18th centuries to the present day, Russia has sought what it perceives is its rightful place as a world power. The United States faces a combination of challenges and threats in the Euro-Atlantic area that we have not seen in more than thirty years. Russia is waging a full-scale war in Europe and shows no signs of stopping. The Russian Armed Forces are the world’s fifth largest military force, with 1.15 million active-duty personnel and close to two million reservists. The Russian military, while much smaller than its Soviet predecessor, has significantly expanded its capabilities. The Soviet view of the battlefield was linear with forces connected on both flanks. The new Russian assessment is that, because of the devastating effects of precision weapons, battlefields will be dispersed and nonlinear with brigades and divisions defending in separate actions or launching attacks on separate avenues. Russian tactics are a result of a combination of innovations and a continuation of past Soviet practices. Russian reconnaissance and security are ongoing actions regardless of the type of competition, crisis, or conflict. The SV uses all forces and means available to conduct reconnaissance to gain information on the battlefield as well as security actions to deny an aggressor information and understanding of the SV’s forces. Russia places strike as the leading function in its joint and tactical actions, with all other forces and means enabling it to set the conditions for successful land operations. Strike involves engaging all lethal and nonlethal forces and means to attack an aggressor at a planned location and time on the battlefield. Although Russia announced a new military doctrine in 2014 that emphasizes defensive preparations and actions, the military and the SV still consider the offensive as the decisive battlefield action and the ultimate means of defeating an aggressor. The SV is not the ground force of World War II or the Cold War, which involved massive armies and millions of soldiers in a linear, cohesive, side-by-side defense. Indeed, contemporary Russian military writers suggest that the future conventional battlefield under nuclear-threatened conditions and precision weapons will be fragmented. The SV will fight with open flanks protected by fires, counterattacks, strong points, difficult terrain, and obstacles.
