MILITARY THOUGHT: SOME PRESSING PROBLEMS OF ANTIAIR DEFENSE OF THE COUNTRY, BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL YE. RYVKIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A029700290001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 27, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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COMINTS ON A PREVIOUS ARTICLE
"Some Pressing Problems of Antiair
Defense of the Country"
by
Lieutenant-Colonel Ye. Ryvkin
In the article, "Some Pressing Problems of Antiair Defense of the
Country"l, Lieutenant-Colonel N. Melnikov examines one of the most im-
portant problems of antiair defense (protivovozoushnaye oborona-PVO) --
the grouping of antiaircraft missile troops (zenitnyye raketnyye voyske-
ZRV ).
One should agree with the opinion of the author that the point
grouping (obyektovaya gruppirovka) of antiaircraft missile troops does
not answer the growing problems of antiair defense. It is also true
that a perimeter single echelon defense (krugovaya odnoeshelonnaya
oborona) of an objective with antiaircraft missiles does not guarantee
its safety from air strikes, because aviation now has the capability of
breaking through the ZRV zone, using various methods to overcome antiair
defense. Furthermore, as strategic bombers become armed with guided
missiles, it becomes senseless to have the ZRV grouping located near
the probable line of bombardment around the objectives. Therefore,
Lieutenant-Colonel Melnikov suggests that the ZRV units be relieved
from screening individual isolated rear area objectives, and be used
for screening the entire territory of the country by forming a ZRV
grouping in one or two echelons along the country's border. The author
gives simple calculations on the economic advantages of such a re-
organization.
In our opinion, however, the ZRV grouping proposed by Lieutenant-
Colonel N. Melnikov will not ensure reliable antiair defense of the
country.
1. Collection of Articles of the Journal "Military Thought", No. 1(56),
1961
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The fact is that the enemy, having discovered the ZRV border
grouping, will unquestionably succeed in breaking through temporarily
at a predetermined sector by using massed nuclear/missile strikes ana
concentrated radar jamming. After this, the enemy's strategic and 50X1-HUM
tactical aviation, as well as his cruise missiles, can penetrate
through this breach. After breaking through the ZRV border zone, the
means of aerial attack will be able to bomb, unimpeded, the unprotected
objectives in the zone of interior.
It is true that Lieutenant-Colonel N. Melnikov feels that, in order
to screen individual objectives located outside the boundaries of the
screened territory, as well as important centers (Moscow, Leningrad,
and others), there will be need of additional ZRV means. This would
mean., however, that other objectives of great importance to the national
economy and defense would be left without supplementary screening, and
would therefore be defenseless.
Taking into consideration the possibility of such consequences. Marsh
of the Soviet Union S. Biryuzov expresses a different point of viewl. In
his article "The Role and Tasks of the Antiair Defense Troops of the
Country in Modern Warfare and Prospects for Their Development in the Near
Future", he maintains that only by setting up systems of long-range anti-
aircraft missiles (ZUR DD) will it be possible to switch from the screen-
ing of individual objectives to the organization of zonal defense of those
very important regions which represent the basis of the military-economic
potential of the country.
We are in complete agreement with this point of view and assume that
the borders of such regions do not necessarily have to coincide with the
country's borders, and that, unlike Lieutenant-Colonel N. Melnikov's
thinking, desert and sparsely populated areas will be excluded. The
borders of the areas will be defined as a result of a thorough study of
the nature and prospects for development of a given area as an industrial-
economic center. Under no circumstances must we neglect to screen objec-
tives in the interior of the country by systems of short-range antiaircraft
missiles (ZUR BD).
1. Collection of Articles of the Journal "PVO News", No.4(12), 1960.
50X1-HUM
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Thus, in our opinion, the future groupings of the antiaircraft
missile PVO Troops of the Country may consist of "zonal" ("zonalnyy")
or "boundary" ("rubezhnyy") groupings, organized to screen the approaches
to vital industrial regions with systems of long-range antiaircraft
missiles, and of "point" groupings, organized to screen important ob-
jectives in the interior of the country with systems of short-range
antiaircraft missiles.
Antiaircraft missile systems for low-altitude (malovysotnyy)
targets (ZUR MV), in our opinion, should be used by both types of
groupings.
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