ABSTRACT
Soviet military planners and, to no lesser extent, Western Sovietologists take advantage of a stable Soviet military process to formulate and articulate doctrine by which to deal with changes in Soviet strategy and force posture. Changes in Soviet views of the political or military utility of nuclear weapons probably would be sufficient to constitute a true revolution in Soviet military affairs. Budget constraints and the apparent desire of the Soviet leadership to limit the growth in Soviet strategic forces challenge the ability of Soviet military planners. The Western understanding of Soviet military doctrine and strategy was conditioned by the role of nuclear weapons in Moscow’s external relations and national security policy. The “design” case which drove Soviet strategic and force planning always tended towards pre-emptive nuclear action in response to strategic indicators of impending attack. The modernist view focuses on the prospects for controlled conflicts and even protracted, non-nuclear wars as the basis for planning purposes.
