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Warsaw Pact Air Forces: Support of Strategic Operations in Central Europe, CIA/DI/SOVA Intelligence Assessment, January 1985.

Central Intelligence Agency · 95 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Intelligence assessment, dated January 1985, examines how Warsaw Pact air forces would support large strategic operations in Central Europe. It concludes that the Soviets see NATO air power as the greatest threat to a Pact ground offensive. They revised their air supremacy plans in 1980 and 1981 to use sector-concentrated raids and a defensive air operation. The assessment also finds that heavy aircraft losses and limited deep attack capability would remain serious problems. The document has no UFO content.

  • p. 16 …Europe primarily to support the Combined Baltic Sea Fleet, (thc FRG. Dcnmark the Nethertands, and Belgium…
  • p. 32 …303}5 12-54 Smolensk strategic air army and the Baltic Sea Fleet egional opera- air…
  • p. 42 …between the twostrategic zone and the North Sea. Most primary sectors a series of operational phases…
  • p. 44 …would be carriers operating in the North Sea. This mission aircraft in the open, but the…
  • p. 50 …Sea Fleet-also a Western TMO asset-is responsible for targets in the North Sea, We…
  • p. 51 …The depth of airstrikes Sea. Medium bomber targets are not likely to bewould be limited by…
  • p. 52 …Sea Fleet 0 35b 5the FEBA (including Denmark and the polish-DR Front 75 25Baltic Sea…
  • p. 54 …missile strike air division of the Baltic Sea Fleet AF have nuclearof the Smolenk SAA. e…
  • p. 57 …a Targets within the strike demarcation line except those covered by the Baltic Sea Fleet. b…
  • p. 62 …doing, they would seal off the Baltic Sea, securing the establishment of a penetration corridor through…
  • p. 63 …Sea a rrq sit fodee tn na a foce th r andr securingF}the sea ar…
  • p. 64 …as joint operations between the Combined Baltic Sea Fleet and the - coastal (normally Polish-GDR) front…
  • p. 65 …and missile force of the Combined Baltic Sea Fleet in supporting capabilities and are heavily dependent…
  • p. 66 …and could be\ajrcraft fromn the Baltic Sea Fleet The Blinder recon---objects of final reconnaissance…
  • p. 79 …and possibly aircraft carriers in the North Sea front air force-usually the fifth front in…
Top Secret
Tactical Depth. A Soviet targeting term for the area
occupied by NATO's first-echelon divisions. Tactical
depth is typically portrayed as extending 25 to 40
kilometers behind the FEBA.
Tactical Formation. Division-size forces, which in-
clude air divisions and presumably army-level army
aviation forces. Tactical formations arc comprised of
what the Soviets call units (such as air regiments) and
subunits (such as air squadrons and detachments).
Tactical Reconnaissance. Intelligence collection per-
formed for ground army and division headquarters,
primarily to support the planning and conduct of the
combat engagements of the first-echelon ground divi-
sions. The Soviets believe that most of the tactical
reconnaissance targets would be located within 40
kilometers of the FEBA, but they would conduct some
tactical air reconnaissance missions to the full depth
of the objectives of the parent ground armies (typical-
ly 150 to 300 kilometers). Front air force tactical
reconnaissance squadrons and elements of the various
army aviation forces would perform most of the
tactical air reconnaissance missions.
Theaters of Military Operations. Large geographic
areas into which the Soviet General Staff divides the
theaters of war for the purposes of strategic planning.
TMOs can be continental, maritime, or intercontinen-
tal and are either main or secondary depending on
their relative military, political, and economic impor-
tance. Directed by a high command headquarters, the
strategic grouping of forces in a main TMO would
conduct strategic operations to achieve strategic goals
of the war.
Theaters of War. The major geographic areas into
.6 which the Soviet General Staff divides the world for
strategic planning. Each theater of war generally
corresponds to an entire continent, such as the Euro-
pean Theater of War. We have no indication that the
Soviets intend to establish special headquarters to
direct operations in the various theaters of war
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 95 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.