ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the effectiveness of the Soviet civil defense program, selected Soviet strategic vulnerabilities, and Soviet views of deterrence. It aims to evaluate the direction and scope of the United States (US) civil defense program. In light of America’s inattention to civil defense since the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis, numerous implications have been drawn from alleged Soviet plans and capabilites to undertake crisis relocation of urban populations, to disperse and harden industry, and to achieve rapid postattack recovery. Most serious among these implications is the potential effect of Soviet civil defense capabilities upon the real or perceived stability of deterrence. Numerous analysts in government and academe have argued that the US must improve the readiness and capabilities of its own civil defense program. Presidential Directive 41, issued on September 29, 1978, streamlined America’s civil defense goals and committed the country to crisis relocation planning.
