Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum to the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, dated December 1961, sends a verbatim translation of a Soviet article from the TOP SECRET version of the journal Military Thought. The article, "The Theory of Military Art Needs Review" by Colonel-General A. Gastilovich, appeared in the first 1960 issue. It argues that nuclear missiles call for short "blitz" wars, smaller ground forces and missile troops as the main arm. It has no UFO content.
“Bower”1 page
11111) -RFT IOW SR. E 7 Above all, it is tine to repudiate the very concept end.tocression "strike group" (udarnaya grappirowks) 44 antiquated and 'Armful. Any grouping formed with the personneland.eateriel or ground troops threatens to become a good target for an enemy nuclear strike and to bear extra, tunexranted losses. ln place of the creation at "strike groups" in ell types of operstioas it is necessary to instill the concept of "comentration of the effOrts of nuclear/missile yeapoos". The activities, after all, of ground troops both in the offensive and in defense must take piece over broad. scoes, aptavalmatelythe gene for large units in offense as in defense. this, incidentally, wee recently taken into account tg cur probable enemies. the bases of coateeparery operations are rapid natieuver and swift attacks by Mal groupings (of division sise), from different directions mot shooliar to shoulder, and ;skim( use at their own unclear st6se. Yvan these &tie groupingsare dispersed after a suceeedulatteck. A strike group in extemporary semolag spells death, since it forms a compact and good target fora high&yield nuclear weapon. Ocateegscrary oefensive and defensive operations east 0.1MT from ome another WIWI quantity re nuclear verbenas alloted to their implemeatation and not by the number tof divisions. loth in offensive amd defensive gromMitroop operations the primary activities are nuclear strikes, swift sameuver, sod short assaults with tanks and persoanut The difference rests bathe tact that is offensive operatioas there most be a straqg firet„echaloa which pesidts swift destruction of the opposing aeon in edefeasive operation it is expedient to have a weaker first seas:based to desienste it far holdiag certain transportation conterovieportent areas or position sectors behind large asturallssilars, with the aim of slowing the to at the soapy offensive; defense as a ehole should be based on maneuver and strikes with forces located in the none of interior, even with the loss et territory, in order tools tine and concen- trate essential nuclearimissile waspome. It appears tom that ender current oceditioes . It is In- emissary to hive second echeloas, in the previous isanimg of this tern, either in defense or in offense. They were alloys thought of as a potential strike group stick could. be into battle in a new direction. At prom* it is ouch mare empedient to consider everything located Whine the first schelo powhich is en- gaged in battle, as reserve, dispersed over the satire fielder • ; voti.,44 ,
Not linked to a story yet.
FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 28 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.