ABSTRACT
Soviet military spokesmen identify three specific periods in the post-World War II development of their Armed Forces. The first is from 1945 to March 1953; the second is from April 1953 to 1959; and the third, which began in 1960, continues, with modification, through the 1970s. The Soviet meaning of military doctrine is much different from United States military usage. A new military doctrine was outlined by Nikita Khrushchev on 14 January 1960 in a speech before the Fourth Session of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Although the Soviet Union should expect a surprise attack, such an attack will not by itself win a war. By 1955 United States intelligence services learned that the Soviets were achieving major breakthroughs in their missile programs. In August 1953, Soviet scientists exploded a hydrogen bomb, dropped from an airplane.
