Soviet objective of war termination: limits and constraints. Master's thesis

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6525546

Pelkofski, J A

This abstract discusses the objectives of war termination from the perspective of the Soviet Union. Specifically, considerations relating to the possibility of limited Soviet objectives for terminating a war are analyzed. A possible future war in Europe is the primary example; it is argued that the political and military dissolution of NATO and the decoupling of U.S. military power from the continent might be sufficient Soviet conditions for seeking war termination. The hypothesis that the USSR would prefer to fight a conventional war (and avoid nuclear weapons) is examined as is the Soviet need to maintain cohesion within the Warsaw Pact. It is concluded that the limits of conventional warfare and the constraints of alliance dynamics could interact in Soviet strategy to limit objectives for terminating a future war in Europe. An appendix supplements and contrasts the thesis text by reviewing Western views on war termination.

• Research Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6525546
• Report Number(s): AD-A-200439/8/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

350100* -- Arms Control-- Policy
Negotiations
& Legislation-- (1987-)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
ASIA
CONVENTIONAL WARFARE
DYNAMICS
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
MECHANICS
MILITARY STRATEGY
NATO
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
USSR
WARFARE
WEAPONS