ABSTRACT
This chapter explores several elements of perestroika in defense decision making. It discusses the character of the institutional structure that Mikhail Gorbachev inherited. The chapter tries to sort out the elements of the critique because, in the argument for new institutional arrangements, not all of the criticisms of the Soviet military are of equal weight. It looks for clues to the character of those institutional arrangements that might be more in accordance with the goals of the leadership. The chapter examines the counter-critique that has emerged in recent months from conservatives both in and out of uniform. The civilian institutes have acquired a license to debate matters of military strategy. The most significant inroads have been in matters of nuclear strategy. The emerging debate about defensive doctrine and reasonable sufficiency in conventional forces thus represents a real break with tradition. The chapter adopts the Western concept of strategic stability, a linchpin of American arms-control theology.
