Chapter II - Nuclear Force Operations
The Soviet Union has pressed ahead with the development and deployment
of new generations of increasingly capable land, sea, and air forces
for nuclear attack. Modernization of the fourth generation of
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is essentially complete. In
clear violation of the SALT II Treaty, deployment of a fifth-generation
ICBM, the SS-25, has begun, and its deployment has been undertaken in a
manner that violates SALT I. This highly survivable weapon system
represents the world's first operationally deployed road-mobile ICBM.
Development continues apace on the SS-X-24, which could be deployed in
a rail-mobile version this year.
The Soviets' strategic nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
(SSBN) force remains the largest in the world. Construction continues
on several new TYPHOON-Class SSBNs. The SS-NX-23, the USSR's most
capable long-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), is
nearing operational status. It is deployed on the DELTA IV and probably
will be deployed on DELTA III SSBNs.
The USSR currently has three manned intercontinental-capable bombers in
development and production - the BEAR H, the BLACKJACK, and the
BACKFIRE. Newly built BEAR H bombers are the first launch platform for
the long-range AS-15 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM).
Projections for the years ahead are:
- Additional TYPHOON-Class submarines, BLACKJACK and BEAR H bombers,and
SS-X-24 ICBMs, all carrying many more warheads than the systems they
are replacing, will be deployed.
- By 1990, if the Soviets continue to maintain over 2,500 missile launchers and
heavy bombers and even if they are
within the quantitative sublimits of SALT II, the number of deployed warheads will
grow to over 12,000.
- Although the Soviets would not necessarily expand their
intercontinental attack forces beyond some 12,000 to 13,000 warheads,
they clearly have the capability to do so. Based on recent trends, even
under SALT, the Soviets could deploy over 15,000 warheads, or by
violating SALT, over 20,000 warheads by the mid-199Os. The modernization and upgrading of these strategic forces have
been paralleled by growth and increased capabilities of the Soviets'
longer range intermediate-range nuclear force (LRINF) and short-range
ballistic missile (SRBM) systems deployed with Soviet combat forces.
Significant improvements in nuclear capable aircraft as well as
increases in tactical missiles and nuclear artillery have also
occurred. Nuclear Doctrine and Strategy
Soviet leaders since the 1960s have followed a consistent and
relentless policy for the development of forces for nuclear attack. The
Soviet leadership recognizes the catastrophic consequences of a general
nuclear war. However, Soviet military forces have taken actions and
exhibited behavior which indicate that they believe a nuclear war could
be fought and won at levels below general nuclear war. The grand
strategy of the USSR is to attain its objectives, if possible, by means
short of war by exploiting the coercive leverage inherent in superior
forces, particularly nuclear forces, to instill fear, to erode the
West's collective security arrangements, and to support subversion.
Thus, the primary role of Soviet military power is to provide the
essential underpinning for the step-by-step extension of Soviet
influence and control.
In any nuclear war, Soviet strategy would be to destroy enemy nuclear
forces before launch or in flight to their targets, to reconstitute the
war base should nuclear weapons reach the Soviet homeland, and to
support and sustain combined arms combat in different theaters of
military operations. Several overarching strategic wartime missions
are:
- to eliminate enemy nuclear-capable forces and related command, control, and communications capabilities;
- to seize and occupy vital areas on the Eurasian landmass; and
- to defend the Soviet state against attack.
These missions would involve:
- disruption and destruction of the enemy's essential command, control, and communications capabilities;
- destruction or neutralization of enemy nuclear forces on the ground or at sea before they could be launched; and
- protection of the Soviet leadership and cadres, military
forces, and military and economic assets necessary to sustain the war. Strategic and theater forces and programs in place or under
active development designed to accomplish these objectives include: - hard-target-capable ICBMs, new submarine-launched ballistic
missiles, LRINF ballistic missiles, and land- and sea-based cruise
missiles; - short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs)and free rocket over ground (FROG) systems deployed with combat troops;
- bombers and ALCMs designed to penetrate US and allied defensive systems;
- large numbers of land attack and antiship cruise missiles on
various platforms; antisubmarine warfare (ASW) forces to attack Western
nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines; - air and missile defenses, including early warning satellites
and radars, interceptor aircraft, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs),
antiballistic missile (ABM) radars and interceptors, and some
antiaircraft artillery; - antisatellite weapons;
- passive defense forces, including civil defense forces and
countermeasures troops and equipment devoted to confusing incoming
aircraft; and - hardened facilities numbering in the thousands, command
vehicles, and evacuation plans designed to protect Party, military,
governmental and industrial staffs, essential workers, and to the
extent possible the general population.
Supporting a land war in Eurasia and eliminating the US capacity to
fight and support a conflict would require the capability to employ
theater and strategic forces over a variety of ranges and the
destruction of:
- military-associated command and control facilities and other assets;
- war-supporting industries, arsenals, and major military facilities;
- ports and airfields in the United States and along air and sea routes to European and Asian theaters of war; and
- satellite surveillance sensors, ground-based surveillance sensors, and related communications facilities.
Soviet nuclear forces are designed and personnel are trained to fulfill
their missions under all circumstances. Soviet leaders appear to
believe that nuclear war might last weeks or even months and have
factored this possibility into their force planning. Despite public
rhetoric alleging their commitment to no first-use of nuclear weapons,
the Soviets have developed extensive plans either to preempt a nuclear
attack or to launch a massive first strike.
The key to a successful preemptive attack would be effective
coordination of the strike and accurate intelligence on enemy
intentions. Meeting these demands in war requires reliable command,
control, and communications under all conditions.
A
launch-under-attack circumstance would place great stress on attack
warning systems and launch coordination. To meet the demands of a
launch-under-attack contingency, the Soviets have established an
elaborate warning system. Satellite, over-the-horizon radar, and early
warning systems have been built to provide the Soviet Union with the
capability to assess accurately and respond effectively to any nuclear
attack. These warning systems could give the Soviets time to launch
their nuclear forces very quickly.
Follow-on
strikes would require the survival of the command, control, and
communications systems as well as the weapons themselves. The Soviets
have invested heavily in providing this survivability. The SS-17,
SS-18, and SS-19 ICBMs are housed in the world's hardest operational
silos. The Soviets are building silos for the new ABM interceptors
around Moscow. To increase its survivability, the SS-20 LRINF missile
is mobile. The mobile SS-26 ICBM is being deployed; the development of
the mobile SS-X-24 continues; and a mobile surface-to-air missile, the
SA-X-12, with some capabilities against certain types of ballistic
missiles, is almost operational. The launch-control facilities for
offensive missiles are housed in very hard silos or on off-road
vehicles. Communications are redundant and hardened against both blast
and electro-magnetic pulse damage. Higher commands have multiple mobile
alternate command posts available for their use, including land
vehicles, trains, aircraft, and ships. Bombers are assigned dispersal
airfields. Ballistic missile submarines could be hidden in caves,
submerged in deep fjords just off their piers, or dispersed while being
protected by Soviet surface and submarine forces.
The
belief that a nuclear war might be protracted has led to the USSR's
emphasis on nuclear weapon system survivability and sustainability. For
their ICBM, LRINF, SRBM, SLBM, and air defense forces, the Soviets have
stocked extra missiles, propellants, and warheads throughout the USSR.
Some ICBM silo launchers could be reloaded, and provisions have been
made for the decontamination of those launchers. Plans for the survival
of necessary equipment and personnel have been developed and practiced.
Resupply systems are available to reload SSBNs in protected waters. Soviet Intercontinental Attack Forces
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
The operational Soviet ICBM force consists of some 1,400 silo and
mobile launchers, aside from those at test sites. Some 818 of the silo
launchers have been rebuilt since 1972; nearly half of these silos have
been refurbished since 1979. All 818 silos have been hardened against
attack by currently operational US ICBMs. These silos contain the SS-17
Mod 3 (160 silos), the SS-18 Mod 4 (308), and the SS-19 Mod 3(360),
which were the world's most modern deployed ICBMs until the more
modern, mobile SS-26 was deployed.
Each
SS-18 and SS-19 ICBM can carry more and larger MIRVs than the Minuteman
III, the most modern deployed US ICBM. The SS-18 Mod 4 carries at least
ten MIRVs, and the SS-19 Mod 3 carries six, whereas the Minuteman III
carries only three. The SS-18 Mod 4 was specifically designed to attack
and destroy ICBMs and other hardened targets in the US. The SS-18 Mod 4
force currently deployed has the capability to destroy about 66 to 80
percent of US ICBM silos, using two nuclear warheads against each. Even
after this type of attack, over 1,000 SS-18 warheads would be available
for further attacks against targets in the US. The SS-19 Mod 3 ICBM,
while not identical to the SS-18 in accuracy, has similar capabilities.
It could be assigned similar missions and could be used against targets
in Eurasia. Although the SS-17 is somewhat less capable than the SS-19,
it has similar targeting flexibility.
The remaining Soviet ICBM silos are fitted primarily with the SS-11 Mod
2/3s and SS-18 Mod 2s. These ICBMs of older vintage are housed in
less-survivable silos and are considerably less capable. Nevertheless,
their destructive potential against softer area targets in the United
States and Eurasia is significant in terms of many of the Soviet
requirements outlined earlier.
The
most recent development in the Soviets' operational ICBM force occurred
with the deployment of their road-mobile SS-26 missile, in violation of
SALT I and SALT II. The SS-26 is approximately the same size as the US
Minuteman ICBM. It carries a single reentry vehicle and is being
deployed in a road-mobile configuration similar to that of the SS-20.
As such, it will be highly survivable with an inherent refire
capability. Several bases for the SS-26 are operational, with a total
of over 70 launchers deployed. They consist of launcher garages
equipped with sliding roofs and several support buildings to house the
requisite mobile support equipment.
Within
the past year, the Soviets have begun dismantling SS-11 silos in
compensation for SS-26 deployments. The Soviets are expected to
continue to dismantle SS-11 silos. By the mid 1990s, all SS-11s will
probably be deactivated.
Deployment programs for all of the currently operational silo-based
Soviet ICBMs are essentially complete. The command, control, and
communications system that supports the Soviet ICBM force is modern and
highly survivable, and the reliability of the ICBMs themselves is
regularly tested by live firings from operational complexes.
Some
silo-based ICBMs in the current force that the Soviets decide not to
replace with modified or new ICBMs will, in accord with past practice,
be refurbished to increase their useful lifetime and reliability.
During this process some system modifications also could be made.
Force Developments. Soviet research and development on ICBMs is
a dynamic process involving many programs. A modernized version or a
new replacement for the liquid-propelled SS-18 is likely to be produced
and deployed in existing silos through the end of the century.
The
Soviets appear to be planning on new solid-propellant ICBMs to meet
many future mission requirements, including a counterforce capability.
The Soviets already have two new solid-propellant ICBMs - the small,
mobile SS-25 described above, now being deployed, and the SS-X-24. The
medium-size SS-X-24 is well along in its flight test program. The
SS-X-24 deployment in a rail-mobile mode could begin as early as late
1986. Silo-based deployment could occur later. Early preparations for
the deployment of the SS-X-24 are already underway.
Activity at the Soviet ICBM test ranges indicates that two additional
new ICBMs are underdevelopment. A new ICBM to replace the SS-18 is
nearing the flight test stage of development. Additionally, a
solid-propellant missile that may be larger than the SS-X-24 will begin
flight-testing in the next few years. Both of these missiles are likely
to have better accuracy and greater throwweight potential than their
predecessors. A third possible development is that a MIRVed version of
the SS-25 will be developed later this decade. Such a development would
further expand the already large warhead inventory possessed by the
Soviets. By the mid-199Os, the Soviet ICBM force will have been almost
entirely replaced with new systems, a number of which may violate SALT
II constraints. Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles
The
Soviets maintain the world's largest ballistic missile submarine force.
As of early 1986, the force numbered 62 modern SSBNs carrying 944
SALT-accountable nuclear-tipped missiles. Neither total includes the
older 13 older GOLF II SSBs with 39 missiles which are currently
assigned theater missions. The GOLF III SSB and HOTEL III SSBN are only
SALT-accountable for their missile tubes. Twenty SSBNs are fitted with
336 MIRVed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). These twenty
units have been built and deployed within the past nine years.
Two-thirds of the ballistic missile submarines are fitted with
long-range SLBMs, enabling them to patrol in waters close to the Soviet
Union. This affords protection from NATO antisubmarine warfare
operations. Moreover, the long-range missiles allow the Soviets to fire
from home ports and still strike targets in the United States.
Four
units of the modern Soviet ballistic missile submarine, the TYPHOON,
have already been built. Each TYPHOON carries 20 SS-N-20
solid-propellant MIRVed SLBMs. The TYPHOON is the world's largest
submarine with a displacement a third greater than that of the US
Ohio-Class. It can operate under the Arctic Ocean icecap, adding
further to the protection afforded by the 8,300-kilometer range of its
SS-N-20 SLBMs. Three or four additional TYPHOONs are probably now under
construction, and by the early 1990s the Soviets could have as many as
eight of these potent weapons systems in their operational force.
In accordance with the SALT I Interim Agreement, the Soviets have,
since 1978, removed 14 YANKEE I units from service as ballistic missile
submarines. These units had to be removed as newer submarines were
produced in order for the overall Soviet SSBN force to stay within the
62 modern SSBN/950 SLBM limits established in 1972. These YANKEEs,
however, have not been scrapped. Some have been reconfigured as attack
or long-range cruise missile submarines.
Force Developments.
The Soviets have launched three units-two of which are currently
accountable under SALT - of a new class of SSBN, the DELTA IV, which
will be fitted with the SS-NX-23 SLBM, now being flight tested. This
large, liquid-propelled SLBM will have greater throwweight, carry more
warheads, and be more accurate than the SS-N-18 which is currently
carried on the DELTA III SSBN. The SS-NX-23 is likely to be deployed on
DELTA IIIs as a replacement for the SS-N-18.
The Soviets probably will begin flight-testing a modified version of
the SS-N-20. Additionally, based on past Soviet practice, they probably
will develop a modified version of the SS-NX-23 before the end of the
decade. Both modified versions of the SS-N-20 and SS-NX-23 are likely
to be more accurate than their predecessors and eventually may provide
the Soviets with a hard-target capability for SLBMs.
To ensure communications reliability, the Soviets are expected to
deploy an extremely low frequency (ELF) communications system that will
enable them to contact SSBNs under most operating conditions. Strategic Aviation
The five air armies subordinate to the
Supreme High Command (VGK) which contain the Soviet strategic bombers and strike aircraft are:
- Smolensk Air Army;
- Legnica Air Army;
- Venitza Air Army;
- Irkutsk Air Army; and
- Moscow Air Army.
The
assets of the air armies include some 180 BEAR and BISON bombers, 145
BACKFIRE bombers, 397 medium-range BLINDER and BADGER bombers, and 450
shorter range FENCER strike aircraft. The Soviets have allocated these
aircraft among five air armies to cover specific theaters of military
operations (Europe, Asia, and the United States) and yet retain the
flexibility to reallocate aircraft as necessary during wartime. This
flexibility allows the Soviets to alter the use of their strategic air
assets as circumstances require. Soviet Naval Aviation assets include
some 125 BACKFIRE and 230 BLINDER and BADGER bombers. Air army BEAR and
BISON bombers also could be made available for maritime missions. In
addition, the air armies and Soviet Naval Aviation have a total of some
530 tanker, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare aircraft.
The Soviets are in the process of upgrading their long-range bomber force. The new
BEAR H bomber, which carries the AS-15 long
range cruise missile, became operational in
1984. About 40 of these aircraft are now in
the inventory. BEAR H bombers have been
observed in training flights simulating attacks
against the North American continent.
The BEAR H is the first new production of
a strike version of the BEAR airframe in over
15 years. Additionally, the Soviets are reconfiguring older BEAR aircraft, which carry the
subsonic AS-3 air-to-surface missile (ASM), to
carry the newer supersonic AS-4. Several of
these reconfigurations, known as BEAR Gs, are
operational.
The Soviets have been producing the BACKFIRE, their most modern
operational bomber, at a rate of about 30 per year. Several
modifications have been made to the aircraft and further modifications
are likely to upgrade performance. The BACKFIRE can perform a variety
of missions including nuclear strike, conventional attack, antiship
strikes, and reconnaissance. Its low-altitude capabilities make it a
formidable platform for high speed military operations. Additionally,
the BACKFIRE can be equipped with a probe to permit in-flight refueling
to increase its range. This would improve its capabilities against the
contiguous United States.
The Soviets have assigned some FENCER strike aircraft to the air
armies. The FENCER is a supersonic, variable-geometry-wing, all weather
fighter-bomber that has been in operation since 1974. Four variants
have been produced, the most recent introduced in 1983. The FENCER is
still in production, and the number assigned to air armies is likely to
increase over the next few years. Force Developments. The
BLACKJACK, a new long-range bomber larger than the US B-1B, is still
undergoing flight-testing. The BLACKJACK will be faster than the US
B-1B and may have about the same combat radius. The new bomber will be
capable of carrying cruise missiles, bombs, or a combination of both
and could be operational as early as 1988. It probably will be used
first to replace the much less capable BEAR A bomber and then the BEAR
G bomber. For
several years the Soviet Union has been developing the MIDAS, an
aerial-refueling tanker version of the Il-76/CANDID aircraft. When
deployed in the near future, the new tanker can be used to support
tactical and strategic operations and will expand significantly the
ability of the Soviets to conduct longer range missions. Long-Range Cruise Missiles The AS-15, a small,
air-launched, subsonic, low-altitude cruise missile, became operational
in 1984. It is similar in design to the US Tomahawk and has a range of
about 3,000 kilometers. It is currently deployed with the BEAR H and is
expected to be carried on the BLACKJACK when that aircraft becomes
operational. The BEAR H and eventually the BLACKJACK, in combination
with the nuclear-armed AS-15, will significantly increase Soviet
capabilities for strategic intercontinental air operations. The
Soviets have a sea-launched version and a ground-launched version of
the AS-15 under development. The sea-launched variant,the SS-NX-21, is
small enough to be fired from standard Soviet torpedo tubes. Possible
launch platforms for the SS-NX-21 include three VICTOR classes of
nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs); the reconfigured YANKEE-Class
SSN; and the new AKULA-, MIKE-, and SIERRA-Class SSNs. The SS-NX-21 is
expected to become operational soon and could be deployed on submarines
off US and allied coasts. The
ground-launched cruise missile variant, the SSC-X-4, will probably
become operational this year. Its mission will be to support operations
in the Eurasian theater since the Soviets are unlikely to deploy it
outside the USSR and its range is too short for intercontinental
strikes. The SSC-X-4 is being developed as a mobile system and probably
will follow operational procedures similar to the SS-20 LRINF system. In
addition to these variants of the AS-15, a larger cruise missile is
under development. This missile, designated the SS-NX-24, will be
flight-tested from a specially converted YANKEE-Class nuclear-powered
cruise missile attack submarine (SSGN). It could become operational by
1987. A ground-based version of this missile may be developed. All of these cruise missiles probably will be equipped with
nuclear warheads when first deployed and will be capable of attacking
hardened targets. These systems could be accurate enough
to permit the use of conventional warheads, depending on munitions
developments and the types of guidance systems incorporated in their
designs. With such warheads and guidance, cruise missiles would pose a
significant non-nuclear threat to US and Eurasian airfields and nuclear
weapons. US Strategic Nuclear Forces
In measuring and
evaluating the continuing improvements being made by the USSR's
strategic forces, it is useful to bear in mind the status of US forces,
the modernization of which is discussed in Chapter VIII. By mid-1986,
US strategic deterrent forces will include:
- 1,000 Minuteman ICBMs;
- 17 Titan ICBMs (the Titan force will be retired by the end of 1987);
- 240 B-52G/H model bombers plus about aircraft undergoing maintenance and modification;
- 56 FB-111 bombers plus some 5 aircraft undergoing maintenance and modification;
- 17 B-1B bombers;
- 480 Poseidon (C-3 and C-4) fleet ballistic missile launchers; and
- 168 Trident fleet ballistic missile launchers.
The historic and continuing objective of US nuclear forces is
deterrence of nuclear and major conventional aggression against the
United States and its allies. This policy has preserved peace for a
quarter-century and, in sharp contrast to the Soviet priority accorded
nuclear warfighting, is based on the conviction, widely held in the US,
that there could be no winners in a nuclear conflict. The United States
does not now have a first-strike policy, nor do we plan to acquire a
first-strike capability in the future. Rather, US deterrence policy
seeks to maintain the situation in which any potential aggressor sees
little to gain and much to lose by initiating hostilities against the
UnitedStates or its allies. In turn, the maintenance of peace through
deterrence provides the vital opportunity to pursue the US goal of
eliminating nuclear weapons from the arsenals of all states. Realizing these deterrence objectives requires the
development, deployment, and maintenance of strategic forces whose size
and characteristics clearly indicate to an opponent that his
politico-military objectives cannot be achieved either through the
employment of nuclear weapons or through political coercion based on
nuclear advantages. Soviet Non-Strategic Nuclear Forces
Longer Range
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
The Soviets began a vigorous effort to modernize and expand their
intermediate-range nuclear force in 1977 with the deployment of the
first SS-20 LRINF missiles. Each SS-20 is equipped with three MIRVs,
more than doubling the number of LRINF warheads that existed in 1977
when the SS-20 was first deployed. The SS-20s also have significantly
greater range and accuracy and a much shorter reaction time than the
missiles they are replacing. The Soviets have deployed 441 SS-20 launchers at bases west of
the Urals and in the Soviet Far East. During 1984, the Soviets began
construction of more new bases for the SS-20 than in any other year.
Some of this construction was to facilitate the units that had been
displaced by their former bases. (These bases are being converted to
accommodate the SS-25 mobile ICBM) In spite of some conversions, real
growth was observed in the SS-20 force in 1985. The
mobility of the SS-20 system, unlike the SS-4, allows it to operate
under both on- and
off-road conditions. Consequently, the survivability of the SS-20 is
greatly enhanced because of the difficulty in detecting and targeting
this system when it is field deployed. Further, the SS-20 launcher can
be reloaded and refired, and the Soviets stockpile refire missiles.
In addition to the SS-20s, the Soviets still maintain approximately 112
SS-4 LRINF missiles, all of which are located in the western USSR
opposite European NATO.
Future Force Development. The Soviets are flight-testing an improved version of the SS-20 which is expected to be more accurate than its predecessor.
Shorter Range Missiles
Current Systems and Force Levels. In 1985, a brigade in the
Belorussian Military District became the first operational unit to
receive the SS-23 shorter range INF missile. The SS-23, with its
500-kilometer range, represents a marked improvement in range and
accuracy over the 300-kilometer SS-1/SCUD B surface-to-surface missile
it is now beginning to replace. If the SS-23 follows the same sequence
of deployment seen with the SCUD B, the Western Military Districts will
receive it first, followed by deployment to the Group of Soviet Forces,
Germany.
Each front commander also may have a brigade of 12 to 18 SCALEBOARD
missiles available that are more accurate than the older missiles they
replaced. Over 70 SCALEBOARD launchers are opposite European NATO and
40 are opposite the Sino-Soviet border. There is a battalion opposite
southwest Asia/eastern Turkey, and one brigade is maintained in
strategic reserve. Because of their greatly increased accuracy, the new
short-range missiles can also be employed effectively with nonnuclear
warheads. In 1984, the Soviets forward-deployed the SCALEBOARD
short-range ballistic missile to Eastern Europe. These front-level
weapons, which normally accompany Soviet combined arms formations, are
now in position to strike deep into Western Europe. Sea-Based Forces
The Soviets also maintain and operate 13 GOLF II-Class ballistic
missile submarines equipped with 3 SS-N-5 SLBMs each. Six GOLF Its are
based in the Baltic, where they pose a threat to most of Europe, while
the remaining seven patrol the Sea of Japan, where they can be employed
against targets in the Far East. Short-Range Nuclear Forces
Current Systems and Force Levels. Soviet armies and fronts have
missile brigades equipped with 12 to 18 SS-1C SCUD SRBMs. Over 500 SCUD
launchers are located opposite European NATO, and over 100 are opposite
the Sino-Soviet border and in the Far East. Additionally, about 75 are
opposite southwest Asia and eastern Turkey, with one brigade held in
strategic reserve. The Soviet division commander has a variety of nuclear assets
available to him. The most predominant such system at division level is
the unguided free rocket over ground (FROG), which is deployed in a
battalion of four launchers. The Soviets are replacing FROGs with the
more accurate, longer range SS-21s in some divisions opposite NATO.
There are now 500 FROG and SS-21 launchers opposite NATO. Another 215
FROG launchers are opposite the Sino-Soviet border and in the Far East;
about 100 are opposite southwest Asia and eastern Turkey; and about 75
are in strategic reserve. Front commanders also have available nuclear-capable artillery
tubes. Three new self-propelled, nuclear-capable artillery pieces are
being added to the inventory: a 152-mm gun, a 203-mm self-propelled
gun, and a 240-mm self-propelled mortar. When fully deployed, the total
number of these new nuclear-capable artillery tubes plus older 152-mm
howitzers that are also capable of firing nuclear rounds will exceed
10,000.
Force Developments. As in all other nuclear attack forces, the
Soviets probably will continue to seek ways to improve the capabilities
of their tactical missiles and nuclear artillery. These improvements
will be accomplished through incremental modernization of existing
systems as well as through the introduction of entirely new systems. The Soviets probably will continue to seek improvements for
their short-range ballistic missile force. Advancements in warhead
capabilities, accuracy, and reliability are expected. Combined arms
commanders would then have enhanced non-nuclear targeting options and
more flexible and survivable SRBMs. These systems will be capable of
delivering nuclear, chemical, or conventional warheads closer to the
forward edge of the battle area and at greater depths within the
military theater of operations. US Non-Strategic Nuclear Forces
Longer Range
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
The initial deployment of Pershing IIs and ground-launched cruise
missiles (GLCMs) began in Europe in late 1983. According to the agreed
schedule, the number of US LRINF missiles deployed in Europe on 31
December 1985 totaled 236 missiles on 140 launchers.These consist of
108 Pershing II missiles on 108 launchers and 128 GLCMs on 32
launchers. The deployment of US Pershing II and ground-launched cruise
missiles responds to the Soviet LRINF missile threat to NATO. Shorter Range
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
With the removal of US Pershing Is and the Soviet SS-23s replacing
SCUDs in Europe, the Soviet Union will maintain its substantial
numerical superiority in shorter range nonstrategic nuclear missiles
while improving the qualitative characteristics of its forces. The USSR
also has a significant numerical advantage in SRINF aircraft and is
reducing the qualitative advantage NATO has enjoyed. This is occurring
despite NATO's SRINF aircraft modernization program, in which older
aircraft are being replaced by the F-16 and Tornado. Short-Range Nuclear Forces
Short-range nuclear forces (SNF) consist of tube artillery and missiles
of much shorter range than INF. The United States' SNF is made up of
Lance tactical missiles and nuclear artillery. Although SNF artillery
traditionally has been an area of NATO advantage, the balance has
shifted dramatically in favor of the Soviets in recent years. The
Soviets also have achieved parity in overall numbers of SNF missiles. BACK
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