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the world balance of forces in favour of the Communist system
and economic uncertainty for the West, the Soviet Union may be
able to use political, economic, subversive and military means of
influence to promote conditions in which Western Europe may be
gradually deprived of credible United States military support
without providing a substitute of its own and without developing the
political and military co-operation necessary to repel Soviet
pressure.
The threat is that the Soviet Union may thus acquire
a position of such dominance in vital areas that it will be able
to achieve many of its objectives without resort to hostilities.
The Military Balance
8. The Soviet Union has achieved nuclear parity with the United
States; and with the aim of at least maintaining this parity is
developing new strategic nuclear weapons for deployment during this
decade, including four new types of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), a new class of ballistic missile submarine with
a 4000 nautical mile range missile, and multiple independently
targetted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).
9. The Warsaw Pact has a marked superiority over the Alliance in
manpower and conventional weapons. In Central Europe the Pact has
some 15,500 main battle tanks to the Alliance's 6,000; more than
3,000 tactical aircraft to the Alliance's 1,400; twice as many field
guns; and some 20% more soldiers than the Alliance and some 30-40%
more soldiers in fighting units. After reinforcement these
for example within 30 days of
disparities would become greater:
mobilisation the Pact could increase its tank force by 7,000 tanks
compared with 750 Alliance tanks;
its field guns by 2,600 compared
with the Alliance's 440; and its manpower in fighting divisions by
300,000 compared with the Alliance's 130,000. (These reinforcement
figures do not include French reinforcements because there is no
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