[dragoon500ly]

Went digging through some back issues of Military Balance and here is what Mongolia brought to the table in 1985.

Population: 1,750,000
Army: 25,000
2 Infantry Divisions (these are formed along Soviet Motor Rifle lines, but have one battalion per regiment "mothballed")
1 Infantry Brigade (in process of expanding to division)
140 MBT (mix of T-34/85, T-54, T-55)
20 BMP-1
10 SU-100 assault guns
70 BTR-60
40 BTR-152
60 Snapper/Sagger ATGM
mix of 76mm, 100mm, 122mm, 130mm and 152mm artillery pieces (park is est at about 180)
12 SA-2 SAM
40 37mm AA guns
30 57mm AA guns

Reserves: 40,000, will form one infantry division equipped with older weapons and bring active divisions up to full strength.

Air Force: 100 pilots; Soviet technicians form ground crews and support staff, est at 2,100.
1 Fighter Squadron with 12 MiG-21
2 Transport Squadrons with 20 An-2; 19 An-24; 1 An-26
1 Helicopter Squadron with 10 Mi-4

Para-Military Forces:
4 battalions of security police and 2-5 battalions of frontier guards: 18,000
Mongolian Society for the Promotion of the Army: 100,000, this is a pre-military training organization similar to the Soviet Union's DOSAAF.

Mongolia has a unique strategic situation in that it gives defensive depth to the Soviet Union's central Siberia against China. China still claims suzerainty over Mongolia (dating back to the Manchu Dynasty), this claim is rejected by Mongolia. Should China expand into Mongolia, the Soviets would find their major communications link (the Trans-Siberian Railway) within 100 miles of a very unfriendly frontier.

Mongolia guards a bit over 2,500 miles of border with China as well as provides forces to ensure the internal control and security of a large area with the lowest population density in the world. These tasks can only be conducted with massive Soviet support. Soviet Air Defense troops guard the key communications hub of Choibalsan in eastern Mongolia and Soviet MRBM units are based further east, near the Chinese border where they can cover large ares of China as well as US bases in South Korea and Okinawa. Soviet Forces, Mongolia consists of one combined arms army with three motor rifle and one tank division as well as extensive engineer support (10,000 engineers alone).

Mongolia has an alliance of friendship and mutual defense with the Soviet Union (dating back to 1936). This treaty provides for assistance in the event of an attack by a third party. Under its provisions, Mongolia military personnel served in North Korean during the Korean War and provided advisers to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Mongolia provided horses, food and winter clothing to the Soviet Union during World War II. Mongolia also has mutual defense treaties with other Communist countries in the Soviet orbit. While Mongolia is not a member of the Warsaw Pact, it is a member of COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, this consists of the members of the Warsaw Pact, Mongolia and Cuba).