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Soviet Union [USSR] Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defense, an
all-union (see Glossary) ministry,
was technically subordinate to the Council of Ministers, as well as
the Supreme Soviet and the CPSU Central Committee. In 1989 it was,
however, larger than most other ministries and had special
arrangements for party supervision of, and state participation in,
its activities. The Ministry of Defense was made up of the General
Staff, the Main Political Directorate for the Soviet Army and Navy,
the Warsaw Pact, the five armed services, and the main and central
directorates
(see
fig. 28). The minister of defense has always been
either a leading CPSU civilian official or a Ground Forces general;
the position has presumably been filled on the recommendation of
the Defense Council with the approval of the Politburo, although
the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet has made the formal
announcement. The three first deputy ministers of defense were the
chief of the General Staff, the commander in chief of the Warsaw
Pact, and another senior officer with unspecified duties. First
deputy ministers of defense have also been selected from the Ground
Forces. In 1989 the eleven deputy ministers of defense included the
commanders in chief of the five armed services as well as the
chiefs of Civil Defense, Rear Services, Construction and Troop
Billeting, Armaments, the Main Personnel Directorate, and the Main
Inspectorate.
The Ministry of Defense directed the five armed services and
all military activities on a daily basis. It was responsible for
fielding, arming, and supplying the armed services, and in
peacetime all territorial commands of the armed forces reported to
it. The Ministry of Defense has been staffed almost entirely by
professional military personnel, and it has had a monopoly on
military information because the Soviet Union has lacked
independent defense research organizations frequently found in
other countries. This monopoly has given high-ranking Soviet
officers undisputed influence with party and government leaders on
issues, ranging from arms control to weapons development to arms
sales abroad, that affect the position and prestige of the armed
forces.
Data as of May 1989
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