ABSTRACT
In 1967 a new armored personnel carrier, referred to as the BMP, appeared in a military parade through Red Square. This tracked vehicle, mounting a turret and gun, was designed to operate in a nuclear environment, affording protection to its occupants against nuclear radiation as well as against chemical and biological weapons. As the Soviet leadership emphasized the requirement for units and subunits to fight with conventional as well as with nuclear weapons, the Soviet Ground Forces gave increasing attention to what role the BMP might play in nonnuclear as well as nuclear conflict. Based on observation of this vehicle in its utilization during the 1973 Middle East war and tests conducted later in the West, the BMP is considered an excellent combat machine. One of the major Soviet military textbooks, Beginning Military Training, was revised in 1978 to highlight the manner in which the BMP had affected Ground Forces tactics.
