The Soviet Art Of War: Doctrine, Strategy, And Tactics

About the Book

No other nation has invested as much intellectual capital in the study of war as has the Soviet Union over the last six decades, and the doctrine, strategy, and tactics that have been developed by Soviet theoreticians are bound to guide any future Soviet military action. The Soviet Art of War makes available to Western readers selections from the most significant and influential Soviet military writings from 1917 to the present. The Scotts have examined thousands of Soviet military publications, including the restricted journal of the Soviet General Staff, Voyennaya Mysl', to make this book the most comprehensive account of Soviet military theory and practice yet published. The papers they have chosen thoroughly illustrate the development of the basic features of Soviet military art, from the days of trench warfare to the era of the nuclear battlefield. These documents demonstrate the emphasis on surprise, on deception, on mass deep penetration of enemy defenses, and on a unified strategy for all services. They also show the forms of military action—destruction and attrition, defense and offense, maneuver and position-as seen through the eyes of leading Soviet marshals, generals, and admirals. The usefulness of this material is further enhanced by the Scotts' commentary and their analysis of each group of readings.

Table of Contents:
Preface -- Introduction -- Early Development of Soviet Military Thought, 1917-1941 -- War and Revolution -- A Unified Military Doctrine for the Red Army -- On Military Doctrine of the Future -- Strategy -- Tactics and Strategy -- Economics and War -- Fundamentals of Naval Strategy -- Principles of Waging Battle -- What Is New in the Development of Red Army Tactics -- The Fundamentals of Air Forces Employment -- The Organization and Use of Airborne Landing Parties -- Fundamentals of the Operational-Tactical Use of Ground-Attack Aviation -- The Base Traitors of the Socialist Motherland Are Unmasked and Crushed -- The Great Partiotic War and the Last Years of the Stalin Era, 1941–1953 -- Order of the People's Commissar of Defense, 23 February 1942, No. 55 -- On the Characteristic Features of Stalin's Military Art -- The Brilliant Military Leader of the Great Patriotic War -- Development of Soviet Military Science After the Second World War -- Stages of Development of the Historiography of the Great Patriotic War -- June 22, 1941 -- The Officers of the General Staff and Their Work -- Half-Century Journey of Soviet Military Science -- Important Soviet Military Operations of the Great Patriotic War -- The Revolution in Military Affairs, 1953–1959 -- On the Question of the Character of the Laws of Military Science -- Factors Determining the Fate of Contemporary War -- On Modern Soviet Military Art and Its Characteristic Features -- Development of Soviet Military Science After the Second World War -- The Development of Soviet Military Science -- Conclusions -- The Drive for Nuclear Status, 1960–1968 -- Disarmament for Durable Peace and Friendship -- Address to the Fourth Session of the Supreme Soviet, USSR -- Address to the Twenty-Second Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union -- The Strengthening of the Armed Forces and the Defense Potential of the Soviet Union -- Military-Strategic Features of a Future World War -- The Development of Soviet Military Science -- The Development of Soviet Naval Science -- Determining the Correlation of Forces in Terms of Nuclear Weapons -- Methodology of Determining the Correlation of Nuclear Forces -- Trends in the Use of Aviation in Nuclear War -- The Growing Role of Airborne Troops in Modern Military Operations -- The Encirclement and Destruction of the Enemy During Combat Operations Not Involving the Use of Nuclear Weapons -- Development of A Controlled Conflict Capability, 1969–1973 -- Characteristic Features of Modern War and Possible Methods of Conducting Them -- Evolution in the Relationship Between Strategy, Operational Art, and Tactics -- Changes in the Methods and Form of Conducting Military Operations -- Conclusions -- Navies in War and Peace -- Tactics—A Component Part of Military Art -- Opening Era of Power Projection, 1974–19?? -- Military Strategy -- War and Army -- Development of the External Function of the Army of the Soviet State of the Entire People at the Present Stage -- V. I. Lenin and Soviet Military Science -- Knowledge of the Military Processes in their Changes and Development -- The Armed Forces of the Soviet State -- Contemporary Problems of Naval Art -- Seizing and Holding the Initiative in Combat -- Tactics: Development Trends -- The BMP in Combat -- Conclusions -- Soviet Military Ranks -- Other Westview Titles of Interest

About the Author :

Harriet Fast Scott spent four years in Moscow during her husband's two tours of duty at the U.S. Embassy there. She is now a senior research associate at the Center for Advanced International Affairs, University of Miami, and is a consultant on Soviet military and political affairs to both government and private research organizations. William F. Scott, Colonel, USAF retired, served two tours of duty in the USSR as senior air attaché and as defense and air attaché. Dr. Scott now teaches at Georgetown University, lectures at other universities and colleges, and serves as a consultant. Both Dr. and Mrs. Scott have been defense policy advisers to President Reagan. They own the largest private collection of Soviet military publications in the United States.