Organizing for Coalition Warfare: The Role of East European Warsaw Pact Forces in Soviet Military Planning
Abstract
While the Soviet armed forces are justly regarded as the greatest threat to Western Europe, NATO military planners must consider the strength and the role of the armies of the non-Soviet Warsaw Pact (NSWP) nations in any future war. In this study, conclusions regarding the military value, employment, and control, of NSWP forces are drawn from the historical record, Soviet doctrine, current published orders of battle, Warsaw Pact military exercises, and the author's experience in the Polish army. The great numerical strength of the NSWP forces is an important factor in Soviet military/strategic planning. The Northern Tier East European forces alone are quantitatively superior, in military terms, to the forces of all the NATO 'minor' allies and are even stronger than all the NATO Central Europe forces, excluding the U.S. and French. Being deployed in the Pact's forward area, the NSWP forces assure the preparation of theater infrastructure, constitute a buffer zone for the European territory of the USSR, and guard the important East-West and North-South strategic transit areas. At the same time, the NSWP forces, especially those of the Northern Tier, are an indispensable element for launching a conventional theater surprise attack against Western Europe. Without the participation of these forces, such an attack could not be mounted with a reasonable expectation of early success.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA216956
Entities
People
- Michael Sadykiewicz
Organizations
- RAND Corporation