Force Structure: Meeting Contemporary Requirements
Abstract
The Soviets have continuously restructured and re-equipped their forces to match the current state of Soviet military doctrine, military science, military art, potential areas of military operations, and prospective enemies. The process is evolutionary yet dynamic, and while smaller changes occur constantly, at times major restructuring reforms have occurred to accommodate major changes in the military environment. Since 1945 the Soviets have conducted four major reforms of their force structure. Immediately after the end of the war, the Soviets, in the midst of demobilization, reorganized their ground force structure to create a new Soviet Army capable of conducting war as required by new political realities and in the environment of central Europe. Experience late in the war clearly indicated that the force structure had been too tank- heavy and that it lacked combined arms balance necessary to fight successfully in the more heavily forested, urbanized, and hilly central European region. Post-war restructuring remedied these shortcomings while preserving the basic operational and tactical techniques which had produced victory in 1945. Keywords: Reprints.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA216362
Entities
People
- David M. Glantz