ABSTRACT
While the capabilities of the Soviet Navy are significant and should not be underrated, Soviet intentions are equally important. In this respect, there are several recent indications which infer that the Soviets may intend to use their submarines more defensively than they intended to in the recent past. To provide a complete picture of Soviet submarine operations, this chapter begins with a chronology of the operations that are conducted in the Western seas. The Soviet Navy made equally impressive progress in cruise missile-equipped and attack submarine operations. Beginning in 1958 with the launching of November, the first Soviet nuclear-powered submarine class, and continuing until today, the Soviet Navy has sustained an impressive program that has deployed several classes of both types of boats. Soviet submarine operations in the Mediterranean Sea began in July 1958, shortly after the Lebanon crisis. It is patently obvious that the Soviet submarine threat to North Atlantic Treaty Organization is currently in a period of transition.
