However, while some militaries, particularly from culturally similar nations, are indeed operate in a similar way and do not have differences beyond surface ones, that is not the case for all of them.
Some militaries organized and function completely differently from the others. These differences are the reason why for example Korean war ended with the current DMZ. North of that line Chinese military had advantage in infantry numbers over the US one. Northern mountains and forests make equipment and organization nearly pointless. South of that line however it's the US who had the advantage in Air Force that dominated over the open plains of the south. Differences between Chinese and American militaries are the reason for such outcome. If both militaries functioned mostly the same, then one of them could have prevailed completely and we would have unified Korea.
In this article I will examine differences between Russian and American militaries.
I will begin with the US. Sure, Americans are familiar with how their military operate, but I will still outline it here to make contrast with Russian military starker.
American military recruits enlisted personnel by offering them various material insensitive, money but also a paid university education after serving certain number of years. America trains their soldiers well and want to retain them in their military ranks for as long as possible.
People who enlist are typically poor with few opportunities and they enlist to use military to get ahead in life. Because of that they tend to be well motivated to excel at what they do and want to meet their standards in order to get that coveted free University Education at the end.
American military has a partially unique and very extensive system of NCOs, even similar militaries do not have as many NCO ranks as the US. NCOs are promoted from enlisted privates who show greater ability to lead compared to their peers. NCOs serve not only as commanders of small units such as squad and fireteam, but also as co-commanders of larger units together with commissioned officers. They share hardship of military life with soldiers, thus earning their respect, but at the same time stay in contact with higher command, serving as an intermediary between officers and soldiers.
Americans say that NCOs (noncommissioned officers) are the backbone of the military. Through NCOs American military main strength lie in capable and motivated soldiers organized in small units commanded by NCOs.
In contrast American commissioned officers tend to be people who want to become a famous military leader one day. They admire famous historical military leaders and want to be like them one day. They join specialized military academies in hope of one day leading the US troops in a future famous battle. That is why fresh graduates are often called butter bar, they have stary eyes and hopes of glory and no idea how anything works.
Later as they get promoted, they in practice become cogs of military bureaucracy as well as control and command. They mostly pass on orders from general staff to the NCOs and reports back up. Most of their dreams of glory die there.
However, some of them got promoted to generals they have to play complex DC politics, occasionally hoping that some evil dictatorship somewhere on Earth will give them their so coveted shot at that military glory.
That mindset is what lead American military command to conclude that Putin wants to restore the Empire by conquering the Ukraine. That is what they would do in his place.
To sum it up American military operates by general staff dreaming of glory and big victories and NCOs figure out how to achieve it on the ground. Of course, generals make battle plans and without them military will not get too far, but NCOs have a much greater impact than in many other militaries.
Now for something completely different I will explain ins and outs of Russian military. In Russia only top officers and generals really understand how any of that works. Bottom ranks are kept deliberately ignorant and dependent on the higher ones.
Common soldiers are recruited mostly from the dumb and indifferent. A lot of people in Russia avoid draft by obtaining medical condition that would preclude them from service. This in practice ensures, that only those who are too dumb to obtain one or too indifferent to bother with it, get conscripted into military.
It's like that quote from Pirates of the Caribbean second movie where Mr Gibbs was recruiting sailors for Jack Sparrow to sacrifice to Davy Jones and one guy told him he does not care if he lives or dies. Perfect or typical Russian soldier is just like that guy. At least it is the type, command typically works with.
Command is afraid that too smart soldiers will mutiny or defect. That is why they recruit only idiots.
They also do not train them as much as Americans would. Better training can also increase chance of mutiny or desertion.
Soldiers in Russian military are intended for exploitation by their superior offices in peace time and to die for their country in war time.
Because of that command deliberately keeps them dependent on themselves. They do not train them to survive in wilderness on their own. A soldier who can survive on their own can defect and the one who cannot have no choice but to obey command orders to be fed.
They also threaten them with court martial and swift death sentence for disobeying any orders. They confiscate their identity documents and replace them with special military ones to help police track them down if needed.
Finally, officers keep weapons and ammunition under key and lock to prevent soldiers from using them without command explicit orders. When they give them guns, officers are always there to supervise them.
Officers also do not see reasons to tell their troops even things like who they are fighting or where they ever are. North Korea whose army is created in Soviet and Russian image also does that.
This "work for food", constantly under threat of punishment army is as unmotivated as one can expect. However, most of them are either too helpless to do anything about it or too indifferent to even have an independent thought in their heads. That ensures at the very least they stay where they are and obey their orders when officers are giving them.
One exception to this rule is VDV troops. Every recruit who is loyal enough to Russia, motivated to fight and dumb enough to believe in Russian propaganda is assigned to this branch of military. They have much better training, better fed and in general are treated much better and other solders.
There are no NCOs like they are in the American military. Closest thing to an NCO is a Praporschik rank that only exist in Russian and some other post-Soviet militaries. However, his role is more of looking after supplies and he clearly does not share hardships of soldiers ranks.
Soldiers are promoted to ranks such as sergeant, but these are automatic promotions due to length of service and do not account for any adequacy or ability to command. Newly minted sergeants mostly use their authority to abuse privates in an infamous dedovshchina phenomenon.
To compensate for all this lack of ability or motivation in lower ranks, commissioned officers and generals are actually somewhat capable. Officers of rank of colonel and above had to know how to not only keep all this from falling apart but also how to run it with at least some efficiency. Surprisingly enough Russian military has just that capable generals.
Unlike the US, in Russia commissioned officers typically do not join military for glory. At the very least those who do not end up promoted high.
Instead, most generals and colonels are motivated opportunity to abuse authority and exploit soldiers under their command for personal gain. The infamous "building mansions for generals". Most Russian generals greatly enriched themselves by abusing their military authority.
This de-facto spoils system keeps generals loyal to the system and Putin personally. It keeps them motivated to make sure this regime will survive because new leaders might reign into the spoils thing.
It also keeps them motivated to actually win and even innovate to achieve results.
Because of internal issues and structure, Russian military can only be top heavy. This internal culture is what produces all of Russian military characteristics. Including inflexibility and over reliance on top officers and generals. Only people high enough in rank to seriously benefit from spoils system can be trusted with any significant authority and control.
That is why Russia relies on fighting methods that work with these constrains. A lot of trenches, minefields, a lot of artillery.
Russia cannot have effective fireteams and squads as there require soldiers to be motivated and loyal.
Artillery on the other hand can be operated by dumb numb dying slaves, micromanaged by commanding officers. Dying slaves can dig trenches too.
All that is both constrain Russia in what it can do on the battlefield as well as gives any of its opponents a good idea of what to expect when you fight against them.
Germans successfully used these weaknesses against USSR during Operation Barbarossa. Ever since these days things have not changed on fundamental levels. The only difference is that command takes more precautions, and their artillery can now fire at higher distances, making reaching them in a blitzkrieg dash harder. They are however just as vulnerable to sudden infiltrations as before. Ukrainian Kharkiv offensive showed just that. Catch them off guard and they will show no resistance.
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