Increasing the effectiveness of intelligence support of the operation of the troop grouping: a methodical approach

The experience gained from the use of intelligence forces and assets during the open armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine highlights the need to change the approaches to the functioning of military intelligence management bodies. The experience of performing the tasks of intelligence forces and assets confirms the trends outlined in the leading armies worldwide regarding the implementation of robotic systems for reconnaissance tasks and the use of alternative methods and techniques for obtaining intelligence data. The purpose of the article is to provide recommendations for systematizing the factors that influence the effectiveness of intelligence support for operational groupings of troops in operations, based on the analysis of the Russian-Ukrainian war experience, and to propose a direction for obtaining intelligence information from open sources in the interests of intelligence support for groupings of troops in operations. An analysis of the factors affecting the use of intelligence forces and assets during the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as well as the functioning of military intelligence management bodies in carrying out their assigned tasks, has been conducted. A classification of the factors influencing intelligence support (IS) has been proposed. Using expert assessments and the experience of performing intelligence tasks, each factor has been evaluated with the determination of indicators of its impact on the effectiveness of IS. The application of new approaches to obtaining intelligence information from open sources has been analyzed. Conducting open-source intelligence in the interests of comprehensive IS will: save resources, provide additional capabilities for other types of intelligence, and offer potential for increasing the effectiveness of IS for groupings of troops (forces) of the Ukrainian Defense Forces (UDF) during operations. Future plans include the application of a systemic-cognitive approach to determine the mutual influence of factors on IS, which will allow to take into account their nature and justify certain measures to enhance the effectiveness of IS.