DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS HANDBOOK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00845R000100230004-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/06/09 :CIA-RDP90-008458000100230004-8
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Gregory R. Copley
Managing Editor
Jacquelyn S. Porth
Assistant Managing Editor
Michael Gable
Contributing Editors and Consultants
David Harvey
Dr Slefan T. Possony
llr Michael C. Dunn
Dennis 3. Culkin
Richard Dana
Associate Publisher, Europe
Dudley Masters
Published Annually by
DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Ltd.
~~'ashington UC
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Editor's ref ice
~ "No man is an Island, entire o art of tl~e main. "
ever~~ , an is a piece of the Continent, a p f
John Donne
roblems of the world weighed heavy as the Defense & Foreign Affairs Hand-
book, 1983 went to press as evidence ntrie on a varietycofilcontinelntslwere
refugees in Lebanon came to light, wh11e cou
attempting to cope with staggering debt levels and extrodinary inflation rates. The
past year or so has seen the assassination of a numan President Anwarr Sadatu odr the
world, but few can forget the shooting of Egyp
murder of the late President-elect Bashir Gem c lady dubr ng the Iran Ir geWarhis
inauguration. But as the Middle East -part
captured the attention of many, political violence continued in Kampuchea,
Afghanistan, El Salvador, in the Horn of AfrTU asewell asSin many other to altons
Ireland, Nicaragua, Chad, Honduras and Pe
around the globe.
Looking back on time since the n ficance t ~tr teg~ doc~nne andreoncepts as
points worth highlighting for their s1g
well as foreign affairs planning. The South Atlantic War will be studied and
restudied throughout the world as furthur dent and its n telligenbeen evorkslfor
tions have been made against the UK'Govern
their failure to anticipate the takeover of the als m11a~ harges for is misgcalculation
the same time, the Argentine military has face
of the British reaction to its maneuversseizure of the islands also failed to aecurate-
ly gauge international opinion on the 1i~ with a
Meanwhile, defense manufactureWea nons as 1alresult of the conflPp there. This
wealth of data on the performance of p
brief war in the South Atlantic between Argenthe Kor an Ware oIf{tengan the wlor s
in the first carder-based combat seen wea on systems saw combat use for the ver}~
weather imaginable. In addition, many p
first time. For example, the AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missile was extensively used as
~~; as the helicopter-launched Sea Skua altlveeroles durA~ing the war proving ets
indigenously-made Pucara in a varlet} of ere
adaptability in combat. Also, the Super Etendard naval strike aircraft proved its
value over and over again. Nor should the imp? onal uslesof ~'/STOL tt ghter powert
be forgotten in this war: it was the first operat
and it was overwhelmingly successful. Lastlyrrence roleun h s crisis, although in-
conspicous - played a quiet but crucial dete
Defense & Foreign Affairs Publications have, during their decade of operation,
been covering many international conflicts for redom ate kinking on the s b
Argentine-UK crisis and the Iran-Iraq war tends p
'ect, it is perhaps not every day that we stop~~oo l~ i~n~ka~ b ~ut~ccordingl to fdata
J
numerous wars which have occurre s1n~e
the US Department of State, there ha~~e been some 130 international ~~r
gathered by
ci~~il ~~'ars since that time. The preface of a book is not the place for an in-crept
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ciisciission of the breath and far reaching effects of those wars, but a Handbook
such as ;tiffs must act as a reminder of what has come to pass. The Western Sahara
~'~~ar involving Morocco, Algeria, Libya and the POLISARIO has had a widespread
inf'~:ence on its participants, as have the many Arab-Israeli ti~ars in the Middle East.
Tie latter wars have left their scars and problems to the troubled Lebanon which
seeks to cope with the stresses and strains of Maronite Christians, Phalangists,
Druze, Sunni and Shia Muslims, Palestinians, Greek Orthodox and Catholics,
Armenians and many other religious actors. Perusal of the relevant country sections
of this book will supply all of the other conflicts to numerous to detail here.
Apart from the political, mili~ary and economic ramifications on this earth,
outer space has received more attention than ever before as the realm of the future.
The US Columbia space shuttle brought triumph to its Government in the past year,
while the Soviet Union continued to maintain its apparent lead in-the field of anti-
satellite systems (ASATs). The technology of space-based defenses will clearly be a
part of the Government mindsets of these two superpowers and others for some time
to come. Meanwhile, the US made headway in its efforts to seek international
cooperation with the Japanese, Canadians and Europeans in an attempt to launch a
space station by the 1990s. All this leads one to imagine that the world of outer space
will become a key theater in the global strategy of the future.
On another front -away from much of the public focus -the Soviet Union
continued its transition process, awaiting the time when President and CPSU
General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev would relinquish the reins of office. This
transfer of power, when it comes, will result in considerable change in the way the
East-West balance is viewed, and we should be in a position to see the impact of this,
probably by the time the next edition of the Handbook appears.
The 1983 Handbook has grown ever larger with more crucial and timely infor-
mation. This edition is the product of an Herculean effort by Assistant Managing
Editor Michael Gable, whose pursuit of the most up-to-date narratives and
economic statistics kept him burning the midnight oil throughout the duration of the
project. Scrambling to make sense of the battle orders of warring countries such as
the United Kingdom and Argentina was another example of just how conscientious
Gable was about his task. His meticulousness in tallying Navy Battle Orders has
made this editon of the Handbook particulary noteworthy.
The Middle East and a number of African sections, particulary Chad must be
highlighted for the expertise which Dr Michael Collins Dunn brought to bear. His
erudite histories - he is an historian by training -provide enlighting background
in complex areas of the world. His analysis of the Iran-Iraq war is the product of
many interviews and contacts with both Arab and Iranian sources.
The NATO and Warsaw Treaty Organization sections of the book once again
received the close scrutiny of defense analyst Richard Dana. These excellent sections
should rot be overlooked.
Because there have been so many coups and changes in Government leaderships
in the past }rear and even while the book vas being typeset, please turn to both the
Power Tables and the Late Addenda for the most current information. The Arms
Transfer Tables -anew feature in last year's edition of the Handbook -have
become a regular feature.by popular demand. As past readers will note, these have
greatly expanded. The Missile Tables and Standard Arms Price Index have been
recently updated for incorporation in this issue.
A special thanks to Graphics by Gallo for production assistance in the compila-
tion of this book and to the entire staff of Defense & Foreign Affairs Publications
who have contributed their expertise to the book in many capacities.
Jacquelyn S. Porth
~~'ashingtor, DC: Octohcr 19R~
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