ABSTRACT
The continuous control over forces by higher and lower staffs is equally critical in coordinating and synchronizing the diverse combined arms elements in order to transform the potential of superiority into a campaign success. Soviet society discourages innovation at lower levels, and the military command structure seems to mirror this tendency very strongly. Disrupting and frustrating Warsaw Pact command elements would have a wide impact and be an essential mission for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The physical vulnerabilities have to do with how command centers or command posts are constructed. The functional vulnerabilities arise from the manner in which campaign responsibilities are apportioned and the way in which the Warsaw Pact officer corps is structured in terms of career patterns. Mobile command post elements and their communications are soft targets. Soviet countermeasures would have limited benefit. Proliferation of mobile command posts including airborne would weaken their centralized control and require increased coordination.
