Exercise Zapad

Exercise Zapad (zapad is Russian for west) were large scale military exercises carried out in the Soviet Union in 1981 and 1999.

Zapad-81

Exercise Zapad-81 ('West-81') was the largest military exercise ever to be carried out by the Soviet Union, according to NATO and US sources (de Weydenthall et al., 1983). It was conducted from September 4 1981 and lasted approximately 8 days. It was a joint operation including elements from all Soviet service branches and introduced several new "complexes" such as the RSD-20 medium-range strategic missile complex and "Kiev" Project 1143 aircraft carrier [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_4/docs/20_000981_T.htm] .

The exercise was first and foremost a show of force. Propaganda tapes were made of the large scale offensives concluding in a large victory parade. Apart from being a show of force to the US and NATO countries Zapad was a grim demonstration of military capability in Poland. After the failure of reform communism in Poland during the seventies Poland was in a state of crisis and civil unrest. (See People's Republic of Poland for more information). Exercise Zapad included amphibious landings in Poland near Gdańsk, reminding Poles that the Soviet Union could resort to military force if that was deemed necessary.

The exercise was widely criticised by the US for violating the Helsinki Final Act of notification of military exercises ( [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1984/12384c.htm Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report and a Fact Sheet on Soviet Noncompliance With Arms Control Agreements, 1983] ).

Zapad-99

Exercise Zapad-99 was another large scale military exercise; it was carried out in June 1999 and its results forced Russia to adapt a new defense concept ( [http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2000_01-02/docjf00.asp Russia's National Security Concept, 2000] ). The exercise showed that conventional Russian armed forces could not repel a NATO offensive, this in turn increased the tolerance for use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Apart from nuclear controversy exercise Zapad-99 also sparked international tensions when US fighters intercepted Russian bombers allegedly in violation of Icelandic and Norwegian airspace.

Further reading: ( [http://www.ciaonet.org/cbr/cbr00/video/cbr_ctd/cbr_ctd_06.html Kipp, 2001] )

Sources

*de Weydenthall, Jan B., Bruce Porter, and Kevin Devlin, The Polish Drama: 1980-1982. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company 1983
* [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_4/docs/000981.pdf Information on the Complexes of the Strategic Offensive Forces of the USSR That Were Presented During the Exercise ZAPAD 81 -Original document]
* [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_4/docs/20_000981_T.htm Information on the Complexes of the Strategic Offensive Forces of the USSR That Were Presented During the Exercise ZAPAD 81 -Translation]
* [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1984/12384c.htm Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report and a Fact Sheet on Soviet Noncompliance With Arms Control Agreements, 1983]
* [http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2000_01-02/docjf00.asp Russia's National Security Concept, 2000]
* [http://www.ciaonet.org/cbr/cbr00/video/cbr_ctd/cbr_ctd_06.html Kipp, Russia's Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons, 2001]