Soviet Military Strategy towards 2010

Abstract

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. (EDC)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA218925

Entities

People

  • James M. Mcconnell

Organizations

  • Center for Naval Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Arms Control
  • Classification
  • Conventional Warfare
  • Doctrine
  • Economic Systems
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Research
  • Military Science
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Political Science
  • Security
  • Space Warfare
  • Treaties
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space