The Soviet Turn Toward Conventional Force Reduction: The Internal Struggle and the Variables at Play

Abstract

This report examines the relationship between the Soviet force posture toward Western Europe and the political struggle that is being waged in the Soviet Union for control over the priorities of military deployment policy and military-industrial decision making. It presents an overview of the intertwined issues that have been the key battleground in this contest: how to define the Soviet military budget, how far and how fast to cut it, how far to reduce Soviet conventional forward deployments in Europe, how much asymmetry to accept in such reductions, how to reorganize forces for 'defensive' purposes, and whether to move away from the traditional Soviet mass conscripted army in the direction of a professional army. Finally, the study considers prospects for the future.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA237136

Entities

People

  • Harry Gelman

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Attack Aircraft
  • Defense Industry
  • Eastern Europe
  • Employment
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Health Services
  • International Organizations
  • Military Budgets
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Organizations
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • United States
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies