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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. 20 …Unlike NATO, the Warsaw Pact does not have theater headquarters in being in peacetime, although hardened…
  • p. 21 …control of the Western and Southwestern TVD headquarters-often called High Commands by the Soviets. The…
  • p. 26 …links could be established to theater-level headquarters and to supporting strategic cornmands. Communications, between Moscow…
  • p. 35 …Surprise in the known: ' Soviet view can be achieved through many means- Administrative Structure HeadQuartered in…
  • p. 55 …The Soviets Headquarters in Moscow and are considered strategic maintain a total of 15 such divisions…
  • p. 72 …PO A ; re -t { - Black Sea Fleet ROMANI A -UGM (Dsevastopo - BUGRAFleet Caspian headquarters Black Sea…
  • p. 74 …Readiness from Naval Headquarters in Moscow, from fleet Home Waters 40 Operable headquarters,.or by command…
  • p. 114 …reported to fleet headquarters, a practice we did not 259. Forward Basing. To support their worldwide…
  • p. 117 …Some do not have Ground Forces headquarters; some have d. Not all have naval commands. Military…
  • p. 118 …in Soviet maritime strategy is the MTVD, headquarters in being in peacetime. Hardened com- the Maritime…
  • p. 119 …The headquarters staffs and communications after full mobilization; a more typical front would support elements of…
  • p. 122 …Representatives of the Headquarters of the 14. The Soviets intend to maintain centralized con- Warsaw Pact…
  • p. 182 …The number of older ballistic missile subma- links could be established to theater-level headquarters rincs…
  • p. 183 …communications system for use between major fixed headquarters. 108. Logistic Support. Improvements in the logis- tic…
lop eret
(ASW). Table 11-7 and figure I119 show the current Soviet Naval Forces Figure li-19
size, composition, and trends in Pact general purpose Opposite NATO, 1969 and 1979
naval forces.
Three Soviet Western Fleetsa
102. If the Soviets were not concerned with covert
deployment of their ships to sea, they could probably Cruise Missile and Torpedo Attack Submarines
get about half of theii force opposite NATO under
way with varying degrees of combat effectiveness 236 Nuclear
within 48 hours. Those remaining units not undergoing 13 SSN
major repairs or overhaul probably could put to sea in 178
about four days, but would do so with reduced Nuclear
effectiveness. Naval air units normally maintain a low Diesel 26 SSGN
level of peacetime activity; most could reach full 21 SSG
Table II-7 G
Warsaw Pact General Purpose Naval Forces SS
Opposite NATO a
January 1979 1969 1979
Soviet b NSWP Total Major Surface Combatants
.- --- 97 1 Aircraft Carrier
General Purpose Submarines - -- 2 Helicopter
Cruise Missile Units 43 - 43 77 2 Helicopter Cruisers
Torpedo Attack Units 135 8 143 / Cruisers Cruisers
Principal Surface Combatants Cruisers
Aircraft Carriers 1 c --
Helicopter Ships 2 - 2 Destroyers
Cruisers 26 - 26 Destroyers
Destroyers 49 1 50
Missile Frigates 19 - 19
Frigates 102 4 106
Selected Minor Surface 1969 1979
Combatants a 278 85 363 Tonnage of Major Surface Combatantsb
Amphibious Ships 66 34 100 614,500
Selected Support Ships c 85 4 89 ,. Aircraft Carriers
Naval Aircraft r Helicopter
Reconnaissance/EW Aircraft 84 10 94 442,500 Cruisers
Strike Aircraft 254 - 254 Helicopter Cruisers
Tankers 56 - 56
Fighters/Fighter,-Bormbers 71 52 123 Cruisers
ASW Fixed-Wing Aircraft 105 - 105
ASW/Reconnaissance
Helicopters 164 48 212 Destroyers
Destroyers
a The NSWP navies and the Soviet forces assigned to the North-
ern, Baltic, and Black Sea Fleets. Detailed order-of-battle data for
these and Soviet Pacific Fleet naval forces are contained in tables B- 1969 1979
4, B-5, and B-6 in annex B.
6 Figures exclude some 100 attack submarines and 30 principal
surface combatants kept in reserve status,
c A second Kiev-class aircraft carrier is operational in the Black vExcludes reserve units.
Sea, but we believe it will deploy to the Pacific Fleet. bCombatants over 3,000 tons, excluding reserve units.
d Patrol combatants, mine-warfare ships, and missile-equipped
coastal patrol craft.
e Oilers, replenishment oilers, missile tenders, repair ships, and 577630 1-79 CIA
submarine tenders.
Iin addition, these are about 120 transport aircraft and 105
transport helicopters which support Soviet Naval Aviation.
11-30
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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.