Net technical assessment

Abstract

The present and near term military balance of power between the U.S. and the Soviet Union can be expressed in a variety of net assessments. One can examine the strategic nuclear balance, the conventional balance in Europe, the maritime balance, and many others. Such assessments are essential not only for policy making but for arms control purposes and future force structure planning. However, to project the future military balance, one must include an assessment of the base technological balance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The West has traditionally relied on a technological edge in weaponry to offset the numerical advantages of the Soviet Union and its surrogates. The foundations of high-Tech weaponry lie in the base technologies. Although the U.S. clearly benefits from the technological development s of its allies, this paper focuses on the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Its objective is to identify the critical issues of the technological balance that affect the future military balance of power. Figure 1 illustrates the interdependence of a nation's technology base, its force objectives, and fielded weapons. While the focus is on the technological bases of the U.S. and the Soviet Union, such an assessment must address these relationships. (kr)