Soviet Naval Forces and Nuclear Warfare – Weapons, Employment, and Policy

Soviet Naval Forces and Nuclear Warfare
282 Pages
ISBN 978-0813372068

Based on formal content analysis of the writings of Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov and past Soviet ministers of defense and heads of the Politburo, James J. Tritten interprets what the Soviets say they will do in the event of nuclear war. He then constructs a hardware and exercise analysis of the strategic employment of the Soviet Navy in a nuclear war, offering three possible cases--the "bolt from the blue," with existing forces on patrol; full mobilization; and a plausible case of partial mobilization. In addition, Dr. Tritten examines, from a Soviet perspective, concepts of deterrence, the strategic goals and missions of the fleet, nuclear targeting policy, the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) disruption mission, and the potential for tactical nuclear warfare limited to the sea. The author concludes by assessing the implications of Soviet politico-military planning for Western defense strategy and arms control.

Jim Tritten

About Jim Tritten (Corrales, New Mexico Author)

Jim Tritten

Jim retired after a forty-four year career with the Department of Defense including duty as a carrier-based naval aviator. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Southern California and formerly served as a faculty member and National Security Affairs department chair at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Dr. Tritten’s publications have won him twenty-three writing awards, including the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award from the Navy League of the U.S. He has published five books and over three hundred chapters, short stories, essays, articles, and government technical reports.

Jim was a frequent speaker at many military, arms control, and international conferences and has seen his work translated into Russian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.