ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the role of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in influencing or even formulating Soviet foreign policy in of Soviet rule. It draws on the activity and influence of that other influential institution in the Soviet Union - the KGB - and the links between its domestic role and its involvement in the Soviet decision-making process. The experiences and final victory of the Soviet Armed Forces in World War II brought the military leadership to the height of its prestige, authority and, indeed, popularity. Soviet military advice to the Government on military action in Afghanistan in 1979 may have been less complex and, as it turned out, possibly inaccurate. KGB is responsible for Soviet espionage and subversion abroad, particularly in non-military subjects; the latter are dealt with by the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Soviet General Staff.
