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Soviet Union [USSR] General Staff
The General Staff has been the center of professional military
thought in the Soviet Union. Like the Ministry of Defense, the
General Staff has been dominated by the Ground Forces. In 1989 the
chief, two first deputy chiefs, and three deputy chiefs of the
General Staff were all Ground Forces officers. The General Staff
had five main directorates and four directorates. They performed
strategic and operational research and planning, provided strategic
military intelligence and analysis to the Defense Council, dealt
with foreign military attachés, and gave occasional press briefings
on political-military issues.
In wartime the General Staff would become the executive agent
of the Supreme High Command, supervising the execution of military
strategy and operations by subordinate commands. The General Staff
would exercise direct control over the three combat arms of the
armed forces that operate strategic nuclear weapons and would
coordinate the activities and missions of the five armed services.
Data as of May 1989
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