This is a translation of a manual utilized by the Soviet Union to train soldiers in the techniques of infiltration, reconnaissance, and battlefield surveillance. It emphasizes the high standard the Soviet, and later, Russian military places on physical fitness as a fundamental requirement for mission success. The manual concludes with instructions for the layout and construction of specialized courses for perfecting the skills illustrated within this manual. These tactical courses have been found in Columbia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. FARC, Al Qaeda, and ISIS are known to use these tactical courses to train their recruits. Clearly these techniques are quickly spreading through conflict zones worldwide. The drills are simple, easy to learn, and easily retained and are well suited for training motivated but unskilled recruits. As the Spetsnaz say: 'Do more with less.'

A rare glimpse into how Soviet Spetsnaz and KGB units protected and defended their country from perceived enemies - inside and outside its borders. Includes special sections for Alpha Teams on assassination, sabotage and kidnapping.

This training manual comprehensively examines the methods and methods of training an army scout. The technique of concealed and noiseless movement, methods of conducting reconnaissance of various objects, techniques and methods of orientation, techniques of hand-to-hand combat are aptly and visually shown. Recommendations are given to ensure and preserve the fighting efficiency of personnel in reconnaissance. The publication is intended for commanders of subdivisions of the Land Forces and cadets of military schools.

Authoritative illustrated analysis of the history of the military Special Forces units of the Soviet Union and Russian Federation. When the shadowy, notorious Spetsnaz were first formed, they drew on a long Soviet tradition of elite, behind-the-lines commando forces from World War II and even earlier. Throughout the 1960s–70s they were instrumental both in projecting Soviet power in the Third World and in suppressing resistance within the Warsaw pact. As a powerful, but mysterious tool of a world superpower, the Spetsnaz have inevitably become the focus of many 'tall tales' in the West. In this book, a peerless authority on Russia's military Special Forces debunks several of these myths, uncovering truths that are often even more remarkable. Since the chaotic dissolution of the USSR and the two Chechen Wars, Russian forces have seen increasing modernization, involving them ever more in power-projection, counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism and the Spetsnaz have been deployed as a spearhead in virtually all of these operations. This fully illustrated book packed with details such as orders-of-battle, equipment and operational doctrine offers a unique, absorbing guide to the secrets of the Spetsnaz, their most noteworthy missions and personalities.

Viktor Suvorov is a Soviet army officer who has defected to the West. Here is the full story of the Spetsnaz forces, the Soviet army's secret killer elite. This is the first comprehensive insight for the West into a Soviet "army within an army" whose existence has been known until recently only to a few highly placed people--most of whom would deny it. The spetsnaz Soviet special forces are one of the more shadowy and ruthless secret special forces in the world. Controlled by military intelligence (the GRU), spetsnaz units are recruited from the ranks of the toughest officers and men in the Soviet Army, the cutting edge of Soviety military might. In modern warfare their primary task is the destruction of enemy tactical nuclear weapons, but the training of anyone selected for spetsnaz prepares him or her for an unlimited range of tasks--from undercover activity as a member of a Soviet Olympic sports team to piloting a midget submarine. As an officer in the GRU, the author was directly involved in the control and planning of spetsnaz. In this revealing and sometimes shocking book, he talks about his own experience; about the military code of an armed force that kills its own wounded; about the weapons, strategy, and training. For anyone interested in the true military capability of the Soviet Union, this book is essential reading.

counterinsurgency punctuated by moments of heady excitement and terror. Colonel Grau, the editor and translator, has added his own commentary to produce a useful guide for commanders to meet the challenges of this kind of war and to help keep his fellow soldiers alive. This book will also be of interest to the historian and general reader, who will discover that advances in technology have had little impact on this kind of war, and that many of the same tactics the British Army used on the Northwest Frontier still apply today.