ABSTRACT
The Soviet Navy operates on all of the world's oceans and major seas. Its ships and aircraft conduct sophisticated training exercises and an impressive port visit program, and the navy has gained access to port facilities in the Third World and has responded to several international crises. Prior to and during World War II, the Soviets used their army to support foreign policy. In Europe, for example, the threat posed by Nazi Germany was land based, and Soviet defense measures were focused on bolstering the army. Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe transformed that region into a buffer zone, which precluded the West's using the area to apply strategic pressure to the Soviet Union. The modern Soviet Navy was started in 1956, and its subsequent operations have been directed on the one hand toward both "traditional" leaders and "progressive" factions in the Third World and on the other toward the United States.
