Part 4: The Georgian Campaign as a Case Study

In August 2008, Russia's short war in Georgia lacked many of the hallmarks of Western military effectiveness, including communications, intelligence and reconnaissance. But the Russian military has always been a fairly blunt instrument, and it managed to get the job done with old equipment that was sufficiently maintained and deployable. For all its flaws, the Georgian campaign demonstrated an effective warfighting capability on Russia's periphery and can be seen as a benchmark in Russian military reform. Editor's Note: This is part four of a four-part series on the reformation of the Russian military.