Quote:
Originally Posted by ChalkLine
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I would agree that the Far East was less important than Europe to the Soviets due to the forces that NATO had arrayed against them in Europe were larger, more powerful and generally better equipped than in the Far East during the Cold War. China, Japan, North and South Korea, Taiwan etc also were rivals and could not be expected to put up a unified front against the Soviets, and US forces in the region were smaller than what were in Europe.
However in 1991 the Soviet Far Eastern Strategic Direction Theatre of Military Operations had 3 Military Districts (Far East, Siberian and Transbaykal) with a total Soviet Army force of...
50 divisions (7 tank, 35 motor rifle, 1 airborne, 7 artillery)
3 tactical missile brigades
2 Spetsnaz brigades
10 Attack helicopter regiments
9,700 tanks, 9,500 artillery weapons and 550 attack helicopters.
At the end of the Cold War the Soviets also moved 16,400 tanks and 25,000 artillery units into storage east of the Urals.
The Soviet Air Force had 1,180 combat aircraft with the Far Eastern Strategic Direction Theatre of Military Operations, including Mig-25, Mig-29, Mig-31, Su-24 and Su-27, and 215 SAM compexes including SA-5 and SA-10 SAM's. There was also the ships and aircraft of the entire Soviet Pacific Fleet
This was in size equivalent or larger than the combined East and West German armies in the Cold War, and it excluded Soviet strategic forces and nuclear weapons.