ASSUMPTIONS
4.
CONFIDENTIAL
You should assume that:
a.
Political and economic changes within the Soviet Union may result in shifts in its attitude and policies, while prospective arms control agreements may affect the size and structure of Warsaw Pact armed forces. Nevertheless, the fundamental philosophy of the Soviet Union will not alter. The leadership will remain committed to ensuring the country's security and to maintaining and where possible advancing the Soviet Union's national interests and influence as a superpower.
b.
Within the timeframe of the study, the NATO strategy of flexible response and forward defence will remain substantially unchanged; although pressures in both NATO and WP could lead to some reductions in standing forces in Europe and the North Atlantic, with implications for force structures, reinforcement and logistic planning.
c. The resources which the UK makes available for defence will remain about constant in real terms but there will continue to be some scope for the adjustment of priorities within the defence area. However, the fundamental requirement to support the UK's interests and meet commitments OOA with equipment and manpower acquired and funded predominantly to fulfil the NATO tasks will remain.
SCOPE
5. The study team should consult MOD Defence, Intelligence, scientific, research, Single Service and OMB staffs. It should also consult UK national headquarters and appropriate Government Departments; agencies of other nations with interests coincident with the UK's areas of interest; and
international bodies such as the WEU and UNO, the latter particularly in respect of peacekeeping. It should also take
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A-2 CONFIDENTIAL
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