Managing the Ethnic Factor in the Russian and Soviet Armed Forces. An Historical Overview,
Abstract
This report examines the history of Russian (pre-Soviet) and Soviet attempts to empty and manage national minorities in military establishments and campaigns. The analysis concentrates on policies and practices adopted to involve minority manpower in the military while maintaining Slavic dominance of and control over the armed force of the state. In particular, the study traces how the number of ethnic groups drawn into the military has consistently expanded throughout the centuries, identifies the types of units and operational roles to which minorities have been assigned, and discuss the difficulties encountered by virtue of lanugage differences and the potential unreliability and disloyalty of non-Russian soldiers. This study should be of special interest to military analysts and intelligence consumers generally who are concerned with future Soviet military capabilities and behavior, as well as to those who analyze Soviet military manpower issues in the light of current demographic shifts in the USSR. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA137850
Entities
People
- D. Ponomareff
- S. L. Curran
Organizations
- RAND Corporation