THE EMPIRICAL MODEL OF THE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE GROUP OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OF UKRAINE FOR CONDUCTING A SEARCH IN THE DIRECTION BY THE RELAY MODE

Abstract

Planning of any military activities, including reconnaissance and retrieval activities of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) formations, involves knowledge of the capabilities of actors. In the case of reconnaissance, we are talking about intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance groups (ISRGs) which may include regular reconnaissance units or temporary ones designed to perform specific tasks. The process of forming such temporary groups requires knowledge of certain capabilities of the personnel. This is especially important in the planning of search activities "in the direction" by the relay mode.

When planning a search in this way it is convenient to use the empirical models of ISRGs. They can be developed on the basis of the data on the capabilities of the individual servicemen of the corresponding units, for example, intelligence teams of Special Forces operational detachments, as well as individual detachments of the Special Forces of the NGU, to perform searching tasks.

The development of the mentioned empirical model involves knowledge of the capabilities of servicemen to search in one or another mode of search in a certain combat order in specific conditions. Such information can be obtained during the implementation of real military-combat tasks or field studies and exercises.

The compilation of empirical models based on such knowledge is today a definite problem.

For the first time, the attention was drawn to the need to create an empirical ISRG model for conducting the relay search during the field studies that were conducted in October 2006. During this field event, the relay search was conducted by two search (relay) teams. The teams were formed from regular reconnaissance battalions of the special purpose of the designated unit. Studies have identified the disadvantages of this approach. In regular reconnaissance groups, the ability of an individual intelligence officer to perform search tasks differed significantly. The search rate was determined by a "weaker" one. This disadvantage was taken into account during a tactical training that was held in mountainous areas in May 2008.

A part of this study, devoted to the development of research issues of relay search, revealed the benefits of completing search teams not on the basis of regular reconnaissance groups, but on the principle of creating temporary teams of soldiers of equal opportunity.

The latest field trials, conducted in 2017-2019  identified the need for teams to be formed on the basis of special empirical data of individual servicemen. It is expedient to describe such temporary search teams in the form of empirical models of ISRGs of various search capabilities. This greatly simplifies the process of designing a relay search, first of all, the distribution of the route for the search in stages and the definition of the search must a mental analogue of the ISRG is considered, which is formed from the personnel of a specific intelligence unit or a special-purpose unit of the NGU capable of solving search tasks in given regimes and combat orders. This model should reflect the search capabilities of the formed ISRG through verbal, logical, graphical, graph-analytic or mathematical description.

In excess of the time during which the personnel is able to withstand the given power of physical activity, the capabilities of personnel is significantly reduced. As a rule, this significant decrease is accompanied by a sharp drop in the indicators of special capabilities of the personnel, first of all, the rational decision-making ability, as well as other, such as visual and operational memory, sometimes physiological response to extreme situations.

The ability to make a rational decision is evaluated by the degree of implementation of a systematic approach to solving one or another test tactical task associated with the legend of the search. The evaluation is carried out by using reference responses, which are developed as unambiguous answers to each tactical task.

The given characteristics must form the basis of passports-forms, which are expedient to create for temporary ISRGs,  suitable for performing search tasks with the given level of loading and acceptable ability to solve certain tactical tasks.