Multi-domain power. The new concept of the US war against Russia and China
Recently, the United States has been making significant efforts not only to build up state-of-the-art weapons, but also to prepare the armed forces for warfare simultaneously in all possible spaces: from sea and land to space and the Internet.
The new US military doctrine includes the concept of multi-domain confrontation. Modern American strategist General Stephen Townsend, who has been the commander of the African Command of the United States since July 2019, claims that the essence of the concept reveals its name: to change the method of warfare today so that tomorrow you can get an edge over potential opponents.
Multidomain battle (MDB) is understood by the US military as the simultaneous conduct of war in various domains - on land, at sea, in the air, in space, in cyberspace. For this, the following tasks are realized: overcoming the defense systems built by the enemy, constant interaction between domains while maintaining complete freedom of action, the ability to flexibly transform military capabilities, and to constantly maneuver.
In his programmatic article, General Townsend compares a multi-domain war with the principle of the IPhone. IPhone has changed, first of all, the very behavior of people. And the US military expects the same effect from the implementation of the concept of a multi-domain war.
General Townsend specifically emphasizes that all domains and actions in them are not new to the US armed forces, but now, as part of the concept, the American armed forces will change the very structure of interaction in these domains. Battles in many areas have taken place before, but now we are talking about how to turn the entire totality of operations of the US armed forces on land, sea, in air and in space, in the Internet space into single multi-domain operations.
In 2018, the US Congress presented a report on the strategy for modernizing the US military. It identified six main priorities for the development of the American armed forces - the development and implementation of high-precision weapons, the development of a new generation combat vehicle, the replacement of the aircraft fleet with vertical lift equipment, the improvement of communication systems, the development of anti-ballistic and air defense, the increase in the "lethality" (firepower) of American soldiers.
The concept of a multi-domain war was a logical continuation of this six-priority strategy. By the American leadership, the transformation of the armed forces and the reserve into multi-domain forces is seen as the most important step towards providing power to the global military and political dominance of the United States.
If we talk about the technical capabilities of a multi-domain war, then we can give an example voiced by the director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Research, retired Lieutenant General David Deptula. A military expert says that an F-35 fighter, if it detects an enemy launching a missile in the direction of an American missile cruiser, should intercept this missile by launching an interceptor missile from the American cruiser itself. So far, as General Deptula notes, such a level of coordination is not yet possible, but this is what needs to be worked on.
That is, a multi-domain war in the understanding of modern American strategists is not only a simple coordination of the actions of the ground forces, aviation, fleet and other armed forces, but the creation of such capabilities that would, if necessary, allow the ground forces to use the capabilities of the fleet, aviation - the capabilities of the ground forces and so on.
General Townsend notes that another important “brick” in the foundation of US military-political dominance is interaction with the US allies in the North Atlantic Alliance, with other friendly states, as well as the general line of government. After all, the military can win the battle, but a common victory is achieved, first of all, thanks to a single political course.
Political and informational tools in the modern world are weapons that are no less effective than the latest lethal weapons developed by the military industry. Therefore, the political aspect plays one of the key roles in the implementation of the concept of multi-domain war. The information space is also a domain in which it is necessary to confront the enemy, and we are talking not only about hacker attacks or hacking databases, but also about providing information to the ideological dominance of the United States.
Today, unlike the nineties of the twentieth century, Washington no longer hides potential opponents. In the USA, they openly say that the main opponents of the country are, firstly, the "revisionist countries" - China and Russia, who want to conduct a "revision" of the world order, to review and challenge the hegemony of the United States on a global scale.
Secondly, these are “rogue countries” like Iran and North Korea, which do not fit into the world order and completely deny it, basing their sociality on completely different, polar ideological principles, be it Shiite Islam or the Juche quasi-Marxist ideology. These countries, as the current situation shows, can enjoy the support of Russia and China, who are interested in undermining the foundations of American global dominance.
Until recently, the American leadership was confident in the absolute military superiority of the United States even over Russia and China, but then this confidence was somewhat shaken by the latest developments of Moscow and Beijing in the field of armaments, as well as the successful military campaign of Russia in Syria. Therefore, the very emergence of the concept of multi-domain dominance was a response to the buildup of Russia's defense power by Russia and China.
The fighting of the future should take place in a variety of spaces - from the deserts of Central Asia to the Internet, from space to the sea expanses of the Asia-Pacific region, from the ice of the Arctic to the sky over Eastern Europe. And the American command faces the difficult task of organizing the synchronous interaction of all segments of its military machine - and this is not only the ground forces and marine corps, the national guard and the air force, the navy and space forces, but also the military industry, and those enterprises, including private ones that work in the field of high technology, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, uninhabited underwater vehicles and combat systems are seen as the most promising tools for asserting American military superiority. But at the same time, the United States is also aimed at actively involving allied countries in the implementation of its military plans.
The head of the command of advanced weapons, General John Murray, claims that the American army is already adapting to the changing rules of warfare. But the main task is to minimize the signal processing time so that fighters can instantly respond to signals from underwater vehicles, and missile cruisers - to signals of land units.
One of the most important tasks is the formation of a large number of high-quality, well-armed and trained national armed forces in the US allies. British, German, Polish, Greek, Danish, Belgian, Estonian and other armed forces should become reliable and, most importantly, combat-ready assistants of the American army, with which it will be possible to "plug" problem areas, especially in military operations on land.
For example, in the north-east of NATO, the course is maintained for the presence of multinational battalion tactical groups in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In the southeastern direction - in Romania - corps-level management structures are being deployed, in Italy - a divisional headquarters, in Denmark along with Estonia and Latvia - another multinational divisional headquarters, and so on.
A separate issue is the establishment of interaction with allies at sea and in the air. In particular, in 2018, the Joint Air Power (JAP) strategy was adopted, for the first time in all seven decades of the alliance's existence. The main goal of the strategy is to achieve completely overwhelming adversary power in the air and outer space by developing the air forces of the countries participating in the alliance, increasing their compatibility and ability to operate in multi-domain operations.
The same strategy exists in the area of use of the naval forces of the alliance. Alliance Maritime Strategy is designed to deter a potential adversary, collective defense, as well as to ensure safety at sea in the face of today's growing risks.
Particular emphasis in cooperation with the Allies is placed on the hybridization of modern wars. In the modern world, the boundaries between such basic states as peace and war, conflict and ceasefire are blurred. Most conflicts are smoldering, and the confrontation between the United States and its opponents can be called a war, albeit without open armed confrontation. In these conditions, Washington is orienting its allies in the North Atlantic Alliance and friendly states to expand cooperation in various fields, for example, in the cybersecurity segment.
Changes in the strategy of warfare in the near future are also recognized in Russia. Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces - Chief of the Main Operations Directorate, emphasizes that in the modern world there will be multifaceted wars, and they will be fought on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. That is, we are talking about the very multi-domain war, the concept of which is being developed in the United States.
In the new conditions of Russia, it is necessary not only to improve various technologies, introduce the latest weapons, and improve the quality of unit management. The main task is the formation of a defense system against possible aggressive actions of a potential enemy. And, given that the United States does not act on its own, but with the involvement of numerous allies, Russia should also think about designing a joint defense system with real partners. Belarus or Kyrgyzstan is, of course, good, but this is not serious.
Far more promising is the expanding military cooperation with neighboring China. For example, the construction of a common missile defense system, which is too early to speak about, is a long-standing nightmare for the United States and its allies, as it opens up new horizons for the use of anti-ballistic systems against Russia and China against possible American aggression.
The concept of multi-domain confrontation
The new US military doctrine includes the concept of multi-domain confrontation. Modern American strategist General Stephen Townsend, who has been the commander of the African Command of the United States since July 2019, claims that the essence of the concept reveals its name: to change the method of warfare today so that tomorrow you can get an edge over potential opponents.
Multidomain battle (MDB) is understood by the US military as the simultaneous conduct of war in various domains - on land, at sea, in the air, in space, in cyberspace. For this, the following tasks are realized: overcoming the defense systems built by the enemy, constant interaction between domains while maintaining complete freedom of action, the ability to flexibly transform military capabilities, and to constantly maneuver.
In his programmatic article, General Townsend compares a multi-domain war with the principle of the IPhone. IPhone has changed, first of all, the very behavior of people. And the US military expects the same effect from the implementation of the concept of a multi-domain war.
General Townsend specifically emphasizes that all domains and actions in them are not new to the US armed forces, but now, as part of the concept, the American armed forces will change the very structure of interaction in these domains. Battles in many areas have taken place before, but now we are talking about how to turn the entire totality of operations of the US armed forces on land, sea, in air and in space, in the Internet space into single multi-domain operations.
In 2018, the US Congress presented a report on the strategy for modernizing the US military. It identified six main priorities for the development of the American armed forces - the development and implementation of high-precision weapons, the development of a new generation combat vehicle, the replacement of the aircraft fleet with vertical lift equipment, the improvement of communication systems, the development of anti-ballistic and air defense, the increase in the "lethality" (firepower) of American soldiers.
The concept of a multi-domain war was a logical continuation of this six-priority strategy. By the American leadership, the transformation of the armed forces and the reserve into multi-domain forces is seen as the most important step towards providing power to the global military and political dominance of the United States.
If we talk about the technical capabilities of a multi-domain war, then we can give an example voiced by the director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Research, retired Lieutenant General David Deptula. A military expert says that an F-35 fighter, if it detects an enemy launching a missile in the direction of an American missile cruiser, should intercept this missile by launching an interceptor missile from the American cruiser itself. So far, as General Deptula notes, such a level of coordination is not yet possible, but this is what needs to be worked on. That is, a multi-domain war in the understanding of modern American strategists is not only a simple coordination of the actions of the ground forces, aviation, fleet and other armed forces, but the creation of such capabilities that would, if necessary, allow the ground forces to use the capabilities of the fleet, aviation - the capabilities of the ground forces and so on.
General Townsend notes that another important “brick” in the foundation of US military-political dominance is interaction with the US allies in the North Atlantic Alliance, with other friendly states, as well as the general line of government. After all, the military can win the battle, but a common victory is achieved, first of all, thanks to a single political course.
Political and informational tools in the modern world are weapons that are no less effective than the latest lethal weapons developed by the military industry. Therefore, the political aspect plays one of the key roles in the implementation of the concept of multi-domain war. The information space is also a domain in which it is necessary to confront the enemy, and we are talking not only about hacker attacks or hacking databases, but also about providing information to the ideological dominance of the United States.
Americans do not hide opponents and allies
Today, unlike the nineties of the twentieth century, Washington no longer hides potential opponents. In the USA, they openly say that the main opponents of the country are, firstly, the "revisionist countries" - China and Russia, who want to conduct a "revision" of the world order, to review and challenge the hegemony of the United States on a global scale.
Secondly, these are “rogue countries” like Iran and North Korea, which do not fit into the world order and completely deny it, basing their sociality on completely different, polar ideological principles, be it Shiite Islam or the Juche quasi-Marxist ideology. These countries, as the current situation shows, can enjoy the support of Russia and China, who are interested in undermining the foundations of American global dominance.
Until recently, the American leadership was confident in the absolute military superiority of the United States even over Russia and China, but then this confidence was somewhat shaken by the latest developments of Moscow and Beijing in the field of armaments, as well as the successful military campaign of Russia in Syria. Therefore, the very emergence of the concept of multi-domain dominance was a response to the buildup of Russia's defense power by Russia and China.
The fighting of the future should take place in a variety of spaces - from the deserts of Central Asia to the Internet, from space to the sea expanses of the Asia-Pacific region, from the ice of the Arctic to the sky over Eastern Europe. And the American command faces the difficult task of organizing the synchronous interaction of all segments of its military machine - and this is not only the ground forces and marine corps, the national guard and the air force, the navy and space forces, but also the military industry, and those enterprises, including private ones that work in the field of high technology, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, uninhabited underwater vehicles and combat systems are seen as the most promising tools for asserting American military superiority. But at the same time, the United States is also aimed at actively involving allied countries in the implementation of its military plans.
The head of the command of advanced weapons, General John Murray, claims that the American army is already adapting to the changing rules of warfare. But the main task is to minimize the signal processing time so that fighters can instantly respond to signals from underwater vehicles, and missile cruisers - to signals of land units.
NATO and the multi-domain war
One of the most important tasks is the formation of a large number of high-quality, well-armed and trained national armed forces in the US allies. British, German, Polish, Greek, Danish, Belgian, Estonian and other armed forces should become reliable and, most importantly, combat-ready assistants of the American army, with which it will be possible to "plug" problem areas, especially in military operations on land.
For example, in the north-east of NATO, the course is maintained for the presence of multinational battalion tactical groups in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In the southeastern direction - in Romania - corps-level management structures are being deployed, in Italy - a divisional headquarters, in Denmark along with Estonia and Latvia - another multinational divisional headquarters, and so on.
A separate issue is the establishment of interaction with allies at sea and in the air. In particular, in 2018, the Joint Air Power (JAP) strategy was adopted, for the first time in all seven decades of the alliance's existence. The main goal of the strategy is to achieve completely overwhelming adversary power in the air and outer space by developing the air forces of the countries participating in the alliance, increasing their compatibility and ability to operate in multi-domain operations.
The same strategy exists in the area of use of the naval forces of the alliance. Alliance Maritime Strategy is designed to deter a potential adversary, collective defense, as well as to ensure safety at sea in the face of today's growing risks.
Particular emphasis in cooperation with the Allies is placed on the hybridization of modern wars. In the modern world, the boundaries between such basic states as peace and war, conflict and ceasefire are blurred. Most conflicts are smoldering, and the confrontation between the United States and its opponents can be called a war, albeit without open armed confrontation. In these conditions, Washington is orienting its allies in the North Atlantic Alliance and friendly states to expand cooperation in various fields, for example, in the cybersecurity segment.
How Russia assesses a multi-domain war
Changes in the strategy of warfare in the near future are also recognized in Russia. Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces - Chief of the Main Operations Directorate, emphasizes that in the modern world there will be multifaceted wars, and they will be fought on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. That is, we are talking about the very multi-domain war, the concept of which is being developed in the United States.
Head of the State Educational Institution General Staff Colonel General Rudskoy
In the new conditions of Russia, it is necessary not only to improve various technologies, introduce the latest weapons, and improve the quality of unit management. The main task is the formation of a defense system against possible aggressive actions of a potential enemy. And, given that the United States does not act on its own, but with the involvement of numerous allies, Russia should also think about designing a joint defense system with real partners. Belarus or Kyrgyzstan is, of course, good, but this is not serious.
Far more promising is the expanding military cooperation with neighboring China. For example, the construction of a common missile defense system, which is too early to speak about, is a long-standing nightmare for the United States and its allies, as it opens up new horizons for the use of anti-ballistic systems against Russia and China against possible American aggression.
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