Military geography [1] - the science and discipline that studies the military aspects of geography , and the possibility of their application in military affairs , is part of military science . Military geography consists of the following sections: military regional studies and the study of theaters of operations ( theater of military operations ).
A branch of military science that is closely related to geography is military cartography , which has been separated into a separate service using the methods of topography and geodesy , geographic information systems , aerial and satellite imagery and monitoring of the earth's surface.
Strategic military geography studies the strategic aspects of the geographic environment and the strategic properties of the entities that carry out their activities in this environment, and then develops recommendations for military strategic leadership.
Military geography and theaters of war are mutually connected and use specific material from the geography of physical, economic, political, and from other social and natural sciences.
Content
History
It arose simultaneously with the emergence of the first social communities in need of defense from a potential enemy and an attack on him. Military (combat) actions always take place in real time and real space, therefore, the study of the natural or geographical environment is vital for any socially organized structure that has a military organization ( armed forces ).
In the first half of the XIX century, the problems of the military geography of other countries studied by the General Headquarters of the Russian Army were highlighted in the special works of military intelligence officers and analysts. Usually it was a military geographical survey, which had a standard name, for example: Mikhail Vronchenko . "A review of Asia Minor in its present state." Such a review, as a rule, was also compiled according to a definite plan with a description of the physical geography of the study area, the economy of a country or region, the social composition, a separate review of military facilities and strategic points, a description of ways of communication with technical characteristics, armed forces in all their aspects and other information of interest to the military. Often, such descriptions were compiled by the intelligence officer on the basis of information obtained by him personally on the territory of the explored state or region, which gave special value to the “Views” of the General Staff. Until a certain time, "Views" were classified and, thus, did not fall into scientific circulation at the time of their writing. Consequently, such military-geographical works "dropped out" of the worldwide process of geographical study of the Earth. Obzreniye is characterized by systematicity, depth and breadth of the topic under study, reliance on the geodetic network of points, which are often secretly (semi-secretly) semi-instrumental or based on accurate astronomic-geodesic methods determined on the ground by trained quartermaster service officers. The separate works of the Russian military department were for their time unique works in the field of general and military geography encyclopedic in nature, far surpassing the quality of similar studies of civilian departments.
Military geography in the 19th century Russian Empire
In the Russian military theoretical school, the basics of military geography were apparently laid by Dmitry Milyutin (1816 - 1912) - a Russian military and state leader; Earl (August 30, 1878 ), Adjutant General , Field Marshal-General (August 16, 1898 ); one of the closest employees of the Russian Emperor Alexander II . He held the post of Minister of War of the Russian Empire ( 1861 - 1881 ). Honorary President of the Academy of the General Staff and the Military Law Academy, honorary member of the Academy of Sciences and the Artillery, Engineering and Medical-Surgical Academies, Moscow and Kharkov Universities, the Society for the Care of Sick and Wounded Soldiers, the Imperial Russian Geographical Society . Petersburg University in 1866 awarded him the academic title of Doctor of Russian History .
In 1845 he was appointed professor of the Military Academy in the department of military geography . He is credited with introducing into the academic course of military statistics . While still in the Caucasus , he compiled and published in 1843 the "Instruction for the occupation, defense and attack of forests, buildings, villages and other local objects." This was followed by the "Critical Study of the Significance of Military Geography and Statistics" ( 1846 ), "The First Experiments of Military Statistics" (Volume I - "Introduction" and "Foundations of the Political and Military System of the German Union", 1847 ; Volume II - "Military Statistics of Prussia kingdom ”, 1848 ),“ Description of the hostilities of 1839 in northern Dagestan ”( St. Petersburg , 1850 ) and, finally, in 1852-1853, his main scientific work is a classic study of the Italian campaign of Suvorov .
AE Snesarev, a teacher at the Academy of General Staff, outlined his views on the geographical aspects of military affairs in the book “Military Geography of Russia”.
See also
- General Staff Academy (Russian Empire)
- Military history , Military strategy , Military geology
- Historical Geography , Cartography
Notes
- ↑ ESBE
Literature
- Military Geography and Military Statistics // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (TSB), Third Edition, published by the Soviet Encyclopedia Publishing House from 1969 to 1978 in 30 volumes;
- Military Geography // Babylon - "The Civil War in North America" / [under total. ed. N.V. Ogarkova ]. - Moscow : Military Publishing House of the USSR Defense Ministry , 1979. - ( Soviet Military Encyclopedia : [in 8 tons.]; 1976-1980, vol. 2). ;
- Military Encyclopedic Dictionary (WEC), M. , VI , 1984 , 863 p. With illustrations (ill.), 30 sheets (ill.);
- Collins, D. M. Military Geography. - Moscow: Scientific book, 2005. - 566 p.