TNAG-0537-FCO40-632-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 39

CONFIDENT I AL

2ND DRAFT

7.

The Soviet Union is also emerging as a maritime super-power

with a large modern ocean-going fleet of cruisers, destroyers and

escorts, some 350 submarines (of which over 100 are nuclear powered).

and over 1,000 naval aircraft. NATO's naval strength is numerically

greater than that of the Warsaw Pact, but it includes a higher

proportion of older ships and substantially fewer seaborne missile

systems. In the Eastern Atlantic, NATO's available maritime forces

are already heavily outnumbered. This expansion has occurred

despite the Soviet Union's lack of primary dependence on the sea

as a trading route.

8.

Warsaw Pact air forces and missile systems have also been

improved over the last five years. Newer versions of air defence

aircraft also have a considerable ground attack capability.

The

MIG 25 FOXBAT all-weather interceptor, capable of MACH 3 and carrying

new weapon systems, has recently been introduced. There has also

been a steady build-up of a variable-geometry supersonic bomber,

BACKFIRE. These large numbers of new aircraft are not reflected

in overall strengths, because of the parallel withdrawal of obsolete

light bombers. Tactical nuclear delivery systems in Europe have

increased in numbers and improved in mobility. The range of the

SCID tactical nuclear missile has been increased to 280 kilometres,

and that of the FROG to 65 kilometres.

9.

Soviet military capability continues to increase. New armaments

include:

four new types of intercontinental ballistic

missiles (ICBMs);

10

b.

multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicles

(MIRVs) and super-hardened silos:

4

CONFIDENTIAL