Opening with these three pictures from Russia where you can appreciate the view of Orthodox priests blessing armaments and soldiers' mission, I'd like to express how it represent a strategical advantage the West may not have — or have excluded. A discreet call for revision.

From a purely spiritual point of view, believing soldiers might surely favor this sacrament before entering war and battle. This remains to the realms of personal beliefs and theological appreciations for sure.

However, if religion and dogmatism do not fit your reality view, let's explore the advantage with a rational and psychological approach. If psychology is part of warfare in multiple forms, let's not forget soldiers' psychology — in the foggy midst of war.

Firstly, for one's superstisious beliefs, it may have a positive effect on the soldier's mind as simply as a psychosomathic inner peace driver wetheir he is a believer or not (the cultural symbolism being sufficient). 

Furthermore a blessed battle tank may feel better to the soldier's heart as a potential future tomb-yard than another one filled with meaningless stickers. Meaning, the sole fact of being thrown in the hell of war inevitably leads you to think about death and its remains, would you have to be killed or to kill. For this, the only existential question about what comes after death, what is the cost of redemption when you did things your duty required but your moral revoked, may find a relief in the hope of salvation. That said, a soldier seeing and doing war horrors might really have a more quieter mind — if that can be said — in a blessed tank if they are now heading further inside enemy's territory under's heavy artillery and aviation fire.