Engineering troops: the war in peacetime

Engineer troops are a special kind of troops designed to perform the most complicated tasks in engineering and technical support of combined-arms operations in wartime and various missions of a socio-political and public nature in a peaceful life. In particular, the army units of this kind of troops are involved in the elimination and minimization of the consequences of natural and man-made disasters, for solving complex economic and construction tasks, fighting terrorism and much more. This requires special training and exceptional combat training of personnel, and also involves the use of specific technical means and weapons.

The technology of the engineer troops of the Russian Federation surpasses the best examples of weapons and equipment of similar units of developed countries in many respects. This technical and combat superiority was repeatedly demonstrated in various "hot spots": in Chechnya and Abkhazia, on the Tajik-Afghan border and in Bosnia.

Engineers are present not only in the structure of the Defense Ministry, but also in the structure of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Internal Troops and the Federal Border Service. And everywhere they perform complex specific tasks that require the most modern technology and training of relevant specialists.

Structurally modern engineering troops of Russia consist of units, subunits and formations, which according to their purpose and type of tasks are divided into engineering, demining, bridge-building, pontoon-bridge, ferry-landing, engineering, positional and camouflage. In addition, the structure of the engineer troops includes such specialized formations as the units of assault obstacles, whose duties include the installation and dismantling of various barriers; Parts of the field water supply, the main function of which is the purification and extraction of water in combat or extreme conditions.

The engineering forces of Russia clearly demonstrated their capabilities in carrying out the most complicated task of destroying the Daryal-U radar station that had served its radar station in the Irkutsk region. Due to the uniqueness of this operation, this operation has no analogues in the world. This first destruction of a high-altitude object of high seismic stability in this way was completed in a record short period of forty days. For comparison - similar operation in territory of Latvia has borrowed at the American experts with their vaunted technics about one year.

Now the engineering troops, equipped with advanced achievements of Russian scientific and technical thought, are taking direct and most active part in saving civilians in floods and protecting bridge structures during ice breaks. And they also solve the tasks of demining and neutralizing old ammunition left in the field of old battles.

Today, the engineering troops are extremely in demand also in connection with the development of so-called mine terrorism and the increasing catastrophes. The priority direction of the reform process currently being observed in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the creation of compact and mobile engineering and military units ready for flexible and decisive action in the event of a crisis or military threat.