HC Deb 28 November 1989 vol 162 c232W
22. Mr. Ian Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any evidence that the Soviet Union has altered its military doctrine; and what changes there have been.

62. Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any evidence that the Soviet Union has altered its military doctrine; and what changes there have been.

128. Mr. Summerson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any evidence that the Soviet Union has altered its military doctrine to one that is solely defensive.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The Soviet Union formally redefined the political aspect of its public military doctrine in 1987, to emphasise both the priority aim of the avoidance of war, and its defensive nature. The cuts in Soviet forces announced by President Gorbachev at the United Nations in December 1988 and the accompanying restructuring of its remaining forces along strictly defensive lines, are quoted as evidence of the practical implementation of this doctrine. These measures are very welcome, but even when they are fully implemented, the Warsaw pact will still possess a significant military superiority over NATO in Europe.