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Warsaw Pact Forces opposite NATO, NIE 11-14-79, Volume II, the Estimate, CIA/NFAC, 31 January 1979

Central Intelligence Agency · 201 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is Volume II of National Intelligence Estimate 11-14-79, Warsaw Pact Forces Opposite NATO, issued by the Director of Central Intelligence and dated January 1979. The National Foreign Intelligence Board concurred with it. It was the first comprehensive estimate of Pact forces facing NATO since 1971. It covers Pact doctrine, the ground, air, naval, nuclear and chemical forces, command and control, and campaign plans for war in Europe. It judges that Central Europe would be the decisive arena, and it lists Pact weaknesses in pilot training and antisubmarine warfare. The document contains no UFO material.

  • p. 11 …Forces in the Moscow, volga, Ural, and Turkestan Military Districts could be used against NATO or…
  • p. 27 …initiate such use, although the possibility cannot be entirely excluded. DIA, NSA, Army, Navy, and Air…
  • p. 28 …DIA and Navy estimate that six to 10 reserve submarines could be brought to operational status…
  • p. 29 …CIA, State, NSA, and Navy estimate that the performance characteristics, deployment patterns, training programs, and exercise…
  • p. 30 …DIA, NSA, Army, Navy, and Air Force hold that the Soviets might choose to attack with…
  • p. 31 …Likelihood of Soviet Use of Nuclear Weapons at Sea Before Their Use on Land. Navy judges…
  • p. 56 Aviation (VTA) were used simultaneously, only one increasing amount of complex equiprnent entering the fully equipped…
  • p. 70 …but Aeroflot's 160 AN-12s could be used to lift heavy During peacetime, these Cubs…
  • p. 79 designed primarily for use against large-area targets, and speeds and maximum ranges of from 80…
  • p. 82 …The Pact navies must seek out Bear D aircraft. The Kiev can also receive targeting Western…
  • p. 84 …The Pact countries can concentrate ASW forces and use Pact navies maintain the bulk of their…
  • p. 85 …NATO placed on resources by the Soviet Navy's other mis- decision not to deploy carrier…
  • p. 87 …Thus the Pact would German Navies are capable of transporting less than probably commit few bombers…
  • p. 88 …As of 1975, however, weapons are also carried by many of the Soviet Navy's only…
  • p. 90 …that the expanded use of Frontal Aviation is regarded as only a partial solution to the…
  • p. 92 …submarines would be likely to be used to strike targets in NATO Europe, and the 150…
  • p. 96 …long-range bomber with the capability to strike US From Liepaja, G-II class submarines fitted…
  • p. 100 …the Directorof Naval Intelligence, Department of the Navy. The longer range and radius values in the…
  • p. 113 …Aboard ship the Soviets currently use a scheduled inspection 249. The Soviet Navy has the capability…
  • p. 114 …In addition, the Navy has the option of using merchant communications circuits for command and control…
  • p. 115 …In addition, the Soviet Navy could station an there, railroads and poor-quality highways extend to…
  • p. 122 …Some common computer programs are being used for logistics and battle management sup- 13. In wartime…
  • p. 145 Top Table IV-4 Warsaw Pact General Purpose Naval Forces Estimated To Be Available for Use…
  • p. 146 …German some extent by a shuttle using conventional landing Navies, plus mobilized merchant ships. Assault forces…
  • p. 147 …If the amphibious assaults sary to use far larger forces to escort convoys than were canceled…
  • p. 148 …Eastern Europe and the USSR by the US 6th sweeping NATO's mines or of successfully…
  • p. 152 …follow with strikes using air-to-surface missiles (ASMs),- The Bulgarian and Romanian Navies. Does not…
  • p. 154 …Many have air defense missiles which can be used in an antiship 143. Some believe " that…
  • p. 156 …Soviet Northern Fleet would be used to available LRA and Navy bombers. But we do not…
  • p. 158 …forces were optimized for maximum D-day impact, however, the Soviet Navy would give NATO early…
  • p. 159 …They probably Missile Cruisers 6 would attempt to use these submarines to intercept Cruisers ... 1 Missile…
  • p. 164 …mansk area can be covered by the long-range cruise missiles of the Soviet Navy's…
  • p. 165 …and conventionally armed area air defense against US and UK attacking aircraft missiles, thereby reducing the…
  • p. 168 …the Soviets would use aircraft mainly in battlefield strikes in close proximity to Pact forces, presumably…
  • p. 176 …This aircraft, which is optimized for short-haul Soviet Navy will produce a force with improved…
  • p. 177 …titanium hulls are used, the operational depth limit could reach about 600 meters. According to one…
  • p. 179 …Soviet Navy inventory of Polnoeny-class medium landing ships may also be planning to use the…
  • p. 180 …The Soviet Navy needs a long-range SAM mid-1980s. for defense beyond 20 nm, as…
  • p. 186 …Nonetheless, the would view the presence of US carriers operating in Soviets clearly regard the US…
  • p. 187 …The Soviet Navy maintains a small force in the to Middle Eastern oil were to become…
  • p. 188 …Cuban military contribution in support of Navy also uses port facilities in Benin and Angola but…
  • p. 200 …T s copy is for the iormation and use of the recipient and of persons under…
training regiments requirements which are unique to air operations, such
as aviation POL; and the military district (within the
Replacement personnel USSR) or the front-level rear service organizations
would also be available from the large pool of reserv- supply common-use items. The front is responsible for
ists in the USSR. NSWP countries similarly have large storing and delivering common-use items to all mili-
reservist pools and well-organized mobilization tary units within its organization. It is also required to
systems. supplement the motor transport resources of an air
234. We believe that, rather than depend on stock- army.
piles of war reserve equipment to replace losses in the 237. Stockpiles. In addition to airfield stocks, there
early stages of a war, the Soviets would rely upon unit are stocks of POL, ammunition, and technical and
replacement by fully equipped units which exist in common supplies stored at centrally located depots
peacetime as low-strength or mobilization divisions. throughout the Warsaw Pact. Air units would normally
The large number of such units available are probably be expected to replenish their airfield stocks from
viewed by the Soviets as sufficient to sustain the forces these off-base depots. Air units usually draw their
until such time as production after M-day could build technical supplies from centrally located air force
up new equipment reserves. The Soviets have modest supply depots and draw their common supplies from
stockpiles of older equipment not in units in the USSR, centrally located supply depots under the operational
but our information on the serviceability and purpose control of front rear service elements. There are some
of this equipment is scant. The stockpiles include some air force depots which support air units with both
1,400 tanks, approximately 7,000 artillery pieces, some technical and common supplies.
8,500 various air defense artillery pieces, about 600 238. Pact air forces are calculated to have 290,600
armored personnel carriers, and miscellaneous equip- metric tons of ammunition, bombs, and rockets stock-
ment, all in the military districts west of the Urals. piled in the Central Region-East Germany, Czecho-
235. Production. Production factors and surge slovakia, and Poland-and an additional 130,000 tons
rates would not have a significant impact on the in the USSR west of the Urals." POL storage facilities
ratces wo anort avewar signifantopaTe lsthe associated with-Pact air forces have a calculated totaloutcome of a short war in Europe. The logistic of25mlin etctnsnsorgimdaey
capability of the Pact to support a protracted conflict of 2.5 million metric tons in storage immediately
would depend largely on whether production rates opposite the NATO Central Region: 1.3 million in the
could keep pace with expenditure and attrition rates. East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia, and 1.2
For the most critical supply category, ammunition, the million in the three western military districts of the
estimated monthly capacity of plants producing con USSR. This does not include a substantial amount of
ventional small arms, tank, and artillery ammunition POL stored in airfield facilities.
in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the 239.. Consumption. We calculate that, during a
USSR are shown in table 11-18. three-front operation lasting 12 days, Warsaw Pact air
Air Forces forces would expend approximately 143,000 tons of
236. Doctrine. Warsaw Pact air force logistic doc-
trine calls for the distribution of supplies to air units in
two ways: air force channels provide the logistics
Table II-18
Estimated Monthly Ammunition Production Capability of the USSR,
East Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia
January 1979
(metric tons)
M-Day M+30 M+60 M+90 M+120
Small arms, tank, and artillery 50,000 50,000 105,000 125,000 125,000
ammunition to to to to to
_ 60,000 60,000 110,000 130,00 130,000
11-68
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 201 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.