ABSTRACT
The Second World War provides an unparalleled example of Soviet decision making in time of war. Moreover, the experience of the Great Patriotic War continues to color Soviet perceptions of the tasks that they expect to face in the future. The political and military structures created to meet the requirements of the Stalinist state in Second World War continue to serve as the foundation for present Soviet mechanisms of decision making and control. The system of decision making and control at the center of the Soviet state has developed since the wartime experience. Troop control includes almost all the factors relating to the direction and effectiveness of forces in combat. For decades the Soviet strategic leadership has indicated a willingness to wait for an immediate threat prior to the transformation of the leadership structure. The loss of strategic superiority has prompted some in the West to search for weaknesses in the Soviet structure of command.
