Combat Training

the instruction of particular categories of servicemen in units of various sizes and at headquarters to wage combat actions and the training of rear support agencies to provide service support. Combat training is conducted in the armed forces of all states during peacetime and during wartime. In the Soviet Armed Forces it is closely linked with the political education of servicemen and the instilling in them of a high level of morale; it is one of the most important elements and, to a significant degree, is the determining factor in the high level of combat readiness of armed forces (troops). Troop combat training is conducted in accordance with the requirements of orders, manuals, instructions, firing and driving regulations, and combat training programs. A sequence is observed in the assimilation of knowledge and skills by the servicemen during the process of combat training, and various forms and methods of teaching are employed. The forms of combat training include tactical exercises and various tactical drills; war games on the actual terrain and on topographical maps; staff training periods, games, and drills; and troop maneuvers. Exercises and drills held in the field (in the air, at sea) ensure combined training for commanders, staffs, troops, and rear support agencies under conditions maximally approximating those of combat. The basis of the combat training for ground forces is field training; for strategic missile forces, antiaircraft defense forces, and the air force it is combat skill; for the navy it is sea training. The methodology of troop combat training is an element of the programs in military academies and schools.