War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear; 104; Soviet Military Power, 1987 (Part 1 of 2)

Vallie threats to our national security that our defense programs are designed to meet that posed by the Soviet Union is by far the most serious and the most immediate. For more than a quarter century now the Soviet Union has dedicated its highest national priority to increasing and strengthening maintaining in modernizing its often military power. It was in 1981 then acting on the suggestion of my defense minister colleagues that the Department of Defense published the first edition of Soviet military power so we had military power is in the authoritative annual report which monitored developments and Soviet conventional theatre nuclear and strategic nuclear weapon system. It examines the organization and the Doctrine and the strategy for the employment of these forces and the industrial base and the resource allocations which underpins their growth. And it assesses the increasing abilities of the Soviets to project their military power beyond the national boundaries of the Soviet Union. And now with the publication of Soviet military power for 1987 we have highlighted the new report's principal findings in this brief video summary the summary and the

more detailed printed publications will ensure that people everywhere have the fullest possible understanding of Soviet military power and its implications for our security and our freedom. A new generation of Mach 2 interceptors and fighters twin engine jets with improved range and exhilaration. Carrying radars and missiles with new capabilities against cruise missiles and low flying aircraft. The flanker and the fulcrum dramatically represent the important strides the Soviet Union has making in the introduction of advanced weapon systems. The USSR continues to make comparable advances throughout its military forces forces that will support its military doctrine that if a war is to be fought the Soviets will prevail. General secretary Mikhail Gorbachev has moved rapidly to place his personal stamp

on Soviet national policy a policy that reaffirms the Soviet state's full commitment to develop support and sustain highly efficient armed forces to meet this objective. The Soviets dedicate significant resources to their military so much so that an estimated 15 to 17 percent of their gross national product goes to their military budget. A significant figure compared to the 6 percent of the GNP that the United. It spans understands the Soviet military budget supports increasingly more capable weapon systems and military forces that go far beyond any forces justifiable for defense purposes. System is designed for the entire spectrum of offensive strategic nuclear and conventional conflicts. Soviet forces include strategic nuclear forces Strategic Defense Forces space forces ground forces air forces and the Navy offensive strategic nuclear

forces consist of. Land based ballistic missile sea based ballistic missiles heavy bombers and cruise missiles. The current Soviet ICBM force consists of a wide range of missiles some fourteen hundred silo and mobile launchers exist to deploy these missiles. More than 800 of these silo launchers were hardened to protect the Ensign seven scenes as as a teens and SS 19 spam attack rebuilding the silos greatly enhanced the missile survivability A. New mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear armed cruise missiles are entering to force the number of warheads deployed with strategic forces will increase about 2000 by the end of this decade. As the Soviets improved their ICBM inventory they continue to seek greater missile mobility. In fact the Soviets have been perfecting mobile missile deployment techniques since the early 1960s. The most recent deployment

is a fifth generation road mobile SS 25 missile with about 100 launchers already operational. The real mobile SSX 24 is being flight tested each and says x 24 missile will be armed with up to 10 independently targetable nuclear warheads and extensive rail system is being expanded to accommodate the immanence mobile deployment of this mess o. S s x 24 will also be deployed in silos. Test flights also have begun for a follow on to the USS 18 month for ICBM. This missile will carry at least 10 warheads and have greater accuracy and throw weight than its predecessors. Pictures that increase its effectiveness against U.S. ICBM silos and other hardened target. The USS Ares ICBM force continues to modernize and diversify the number of deliverable nuclear warheads on its intercontinental missiles steadily increases. This trend will continue as the Soviets introduce new

generations of more accurate more survivable ICBM systems. The USSR deploys the world's largest ballistic missile submarine force as of 1987. This consists of 61 modern ballistic missile submarines carrying 116 nuclear tipped missiles. Among the submarines are the Yankee one and Yankee two classes. The Delta one delta do delta rate and Delta 4 and the type 1 class. 3 of the newest class submarine. But don't have or are operating aboard has been launched. Each carries 16 SS and 23 mezzos each Mesereau has 10 nuclear warheads with.