FORT BENNING, Ga., (April 1, 2015) -- A trio of subject matter experts visited Fort Benning March 25 to discuss a new article published in "Infantry" magazine.
The article, titled "Combat in Cities: The Chechen Experience in Syria," was written by retired Lt. Col. Lester Grau, Dodge Billingsley, Lucas Winter and Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Gowins. The article deals with the influence of Chechens on combat in Syria in recent years.
Research, a fellow at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University and a senior faculty member at the Naval Post Graduate School's Center for Civil Military Relations - has extensive experience in dealing with Chechens and has studied their history and tactics for many years.
"They've always been a militant, kind of warrior, culture," he said. "They see themselves as a warrior culture and they're proud of that culture. They raise their sons in that ideology, so it's nothing for a son to consider himself a warrior. (It's the family business) for many families."
He said it is important for Soldiers to keep in mind that the Chechens are not the mythical fighting force some stories have made them out to be.
"I think the problem with the Chechens is there's a lot of myth-making in the Chechen community," Billingsley said. "Others such as the Russians perpetuated the myth as well. When we get something stuck in our intelligence, we tend to carry that forward as well. It's not to say all the Chechen stories are false - far from it. But, we need to put them in perspective in terms of the conflicts we're seeing in the Middle East and in Ukraine. I think that helps paint a more accurate picture, and it's important for Soldiers to know as they think about what their jobs might be in the near-term and even further down the road."
However, Billingsley also said the Chechens do have a great deal of experience that they can pass on to rebel forces such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
"Just because the Chechen numbers aren't huge in Iraq, Syria and eastern Ukraine doesn't mean they don't carry a tremendous amount of street credibility," he said. "They have a lot of fighting experience over the last 20 years and have therefore been able to rise to prominent positions. They have an impact far beyond their numbers."
Included in the Infantry piece is a translation of a Chechen essay that deals with lessons learned while fighting in Aleppo, Syria.
Grau, now a senior analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, said there were numerous points of interest in that translation.
"Technology doesn't do all that much for you in urban combat - training and morale do," he said. "Tactics, communications, heavy weapons and well-trained combatants are key to conducting a successful fight in an urban environment, according to the Chechens."
Grau said the translated piece also contained advice for assaulting buildings, such as avoiding boxed-in spaces between buildings or attacking buildings from their ends.
He said the Chechens also train forces on being able to shoot from either shoulder.
"Having tried that in my youth with U.S. weapons, you get a mouth full of brass real quick," he said. "The Kalashnikov (rifle) kicks its rounds higher and has a shorter stock. They train to do this because if I am standing at the corner of one building (and my target is around the corner), I have to expose my whole body to shoot. So, the Chechens train extensively in being able to fire from either shoulder."
Winter, a research analyst at the FMSO, spoke about the subterranean tactics being used in Syria by both Syrian and rebel forces.
He brought numerous clips to showcase how both groups are using tunnels to move under a key location and detonate explosive devices.
"This is one of the oldest tactics in warfare," Winter said. "It goes back to siege warfare when the foundations of castles were blown up. It has become a common practice in Syria. It's not the only way the tunnels are used, but it's kind of the more spectacular one."
All the clips he presented were found on YouTube, he said, and he advised Soldiers in attendance to be familiar with some of the common tactics used in them.
"The videos can give us a more visceral feeling of what it looks like and might feel like to be in those tunnels," Winter said. "These are real tunnels in this footage. The idea is to gain a bit more experience. Looking at these videos alone is not going to give us a complete picture of how to deal with these situations, but they can be very valuable."
The full text of the Infantry article can be found at www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2014/Oct-Mar/Grau.html.
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