ABSTRACT
The contribution briefly touches on what has to be regarded as the possibly even more important dimension of the region's militarily based economy: the economic impact, especially on the labour market, of the deployment of strong forces in the Kaliningrad region and of their reduction in scale. The Joint Stock Company Baltic Shipbuilding Plant "Yantar", located in the fringe areas of the town of Kaliningrad, was not only the largest arms producer in the region but also the only prime contractor for the production of complete weapons systems. In autumn 1996 some 730 former officers were categorized as unemployed in Kaliningrad. The number of retired military personnel seeking a job and registered with the employment exchange is considerably higher. In view of the level of arms-oriented production and the level of military deployment with its direct and indirect economic effects, the Kaliningradskaja oblast has obviously been heavily dependent on military expenditure.
