Documents / FOIA release

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. 114 …recently halted Soviet air operations from Conakry. These developments will obviously force the 257. Many officers…
  • p. 115 …order to keep other in establishing effective air cover over supporting lines units operational. of communication…
  • p. 185 …The Soviets could elect to provide combat forces scale commitment of manpower and materiel which to…
  • p. 187 …This force is occasionally aug- forces could not be safely transported by sea or air to…
  • p. 188 …a war, but they couldsome naval and air force weapons (including a few recently introduced Flogger…
Table 13-3
Disposition of Warsaw Pact Tactical helicopter Forces,
January 1979
ombathtIleli-orte
Grotlnd Attack b AssaulTrampail Supptl Helicopters I
Total Total Total
aGround Alouete Assault Alouette Total Total Fast Crand
MI 2-2 Attack Ml-1/2 M-i4 NIl-8 Mb6 M[-10 III Tranortor MI-1/2 MI- MI-8 KA-26 III Puma MI-6 MI-10 Supoert Soviet European Total
Oromile NATO Central It-ion
East European ........ .... 25 -- 25 225 110 75 - - -- 410 50 20 5 - -- - - - 75 - 510 . 510
Soviet - - - 15 230 245 5 25 2J5 95 5 - 425- 330 25 160 -.-. - - 45 - 560 1.230 - 1.230
Total OtositCentral lcgion 40 230 270 230 135 370 95 5 - 835 380 45 165 - - - -- 45 -- 635 1,230 510 1.740
Helicopterson NATO's Flanks
East Eurotpran . --- - -- 40 30 60 - - 15 14S5 In 5 5 15 5 Io - - 50 - 195 - 195
Sonvi... . .. . -. 40 40 -- 22 25U 135 - - 405 155 10 65 -- - - 5 - 235 680 - 680
Total on NATO's Flanks . - 40 40 0 50 310 135 -- 15 550 165 15 70 15 5 IC 5 - 285 680 195 875
Other SovIet Helicoters
in Eatern USSi.... -- 1.15 15 15 63 295 95 5 - 475 175 40 120 - - - 20 5 360 950 - 950
Ebehret- -. .-- 25 25 5 10 125 55 - - 195 30 15 30 - -- - 5 -- 80 300 - 300
Total Other Soviet Ieos -. - 140 140 20 75 420 150 5 - 670 205 55 150 - -- -- 25 5 440 1,250 - 1,250
Total Warswra. ....-.-..... 41 410 450 200 260 11100 380 10 15 2,055 750 115 385 15 5 10 75 5 1,360 3,160 705 385
0f rwhich
Soviet ........... _... ....... 15 410 425 25 120 A65 380 10 - 1.500 600 90 375 - - - 75 5 1.235 3.160 - 3.160
East European .....-.- .. 25 - 25 265 140 135 -- --- 15 555 0 25 10 15 5 10 - 125 - 705 705
Inhlrdesall helicpters (exetol thote sedas trans, in storage,in maintenance,or In repair deptts) assigned to Warsaw IIncludesonly thosehelicoptersasgnd to tells which haoe a prmasy mission of ftrasporting tssal toops and theil
Pact tacticalair forces.Does not include helicoptersassionedto national ai defense and n aval forces. associatedcargointoan obietivc area.This designationdoes not necemsarilyelude the capability to perform othercombatorIIncludesonly thoe, helicopters assignedto units which hta a primary misio of attackisgground targetswith rockets, lartt missions.
haohr ad/or unat This designationdoes not nesessaily e.clude the capability to perform other embat or siprtmsions. 4 Includesonlyt hse helicoptersasiged to unitswhich have primarymissionsof aupportto combat operationsby erovidint
services such as logistic support,reconuaissanceartillerystortinr,medicalevacuation.communicationsrelay, eletronic worfare,
or aidorne, commad Posts. This designationdoes not necessarily exclude the capability to perform combaltriions.
B-7
|/!I! op

Not linked to a story yet.

About this file

FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 201 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.