Soviet military strategy towards 2010. Final report
This paper tries to identify significant current trends that may continue into the 21st century and shape Soviet military strategy. An arms control trend, stemming from the Soviet concept of reasonable sufficiency, seems slated to handicap the USSR severely in options for fighting and winning large-scale conventional and theater-nuclear wars. Moscow evidently feels the strategic nuclear sphere will be the key arena of military competition in the future. First, the USSR now shows a greater commitment to offensive counterforce than was true of the period before reasonable sufficiency. Second, Moscow's interest in the strategic nuclear sphere will be reinforced by a long-term trend toward space warfare. However, it may be possible to soften the competition in this sphere through arms control. Prominent Soviets have already begun to suggest that, if the U.S. will limit its SDI ambitions to a thin defense, Moscow might actually prefer mutual comprehensive ABM deployments to continued adherence to the 1972 ABM Treaty.
- Research Organization:
- Center for Naval Analyses, Alexandria, VA (USA). Operations and Support Div.
- OSTI ID:
- 6951205
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-218925/6/XAB; CRM--89-286
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Negotiations
& Legislation-- (1987-)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
ASIA
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
DOCUMENT TYPES
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
FOREIGN POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
MILITARY STRATEGY
NATIONAL DEFENSE
PROGRESS REPORT
SPACE WEAPONS
TREATIES
USSR
WARFARE