One approach to comparing command posts of tactical units in the Serbian armed forces and foreign armed forces

Abstract

Exercising command over units, as an element of capabilities of all armed forces, in armed conflicts represents a highly complex process. It is done in compliance with factors and principles, and through documents, and it is carried out from superiors to the subordinates. Command posts are part of the area of operation where commands or staffs (in their entirety or their segments) plan operations and activities, where from those decisions, in the form of orders and commands, are distributed to subordinate units. This paper draws a comparison between tactical-level command posts in the Serbian Armed Forces, armed forces of the Russian Federation and the United States of America by criteria of conceptual determination (purpose and types) and organisation (composition and manner of functioning). Apart from the comparative method, the research utilised other methods as well: definitions and classification, content analysis and analysis and synthesis. The aim of the research is to describe the purpose, composition and work organisation at command posts of foreign armed forces, and compare them with command posts of the Serbian Armed Forces. The research results have unequivocally indicated that the purpose and types of command posts in the Serbian Armed Forces and in foreign armed forces are rather similar, while the composition, organisation and structure, and the manner of functioning are partially different.