ABSTRACT
The functions of the Soviet Mediterranean Fleet have been to improve the Soviet Union's international position and to participate in transforming the world's nations into socialist systems subservient to Moscow. The creation of a permanent Mediterranean naval force in 1958 was the USSR's first attempt to exert naval influence on affairs in the Third World. The US-Soviet adversary relationship of the 1960s and 1970s was sharply delineated by the Mediterranean naval rivalry. The Soviet Mediterranean Fleet was established to neutralize the influence of Western sea power in the Mediterranean, particularly that of the US Sixth Fleet, and to enable the Soviets to wield a preponderance of power in the region. A major reason for Soviet emphasis on the region is the Suez Canal. The canal also has value for the Soviets, both militarily and commercially. The Soviet fleet's Mediterranean operations from 1956 to 1964 constituted the first dear-cut Soviet attempt to use naval power in support of foreign policy.
