The Winter of the Soviet Military

By the end of December 1991, the Soviet Union was administratively dissolved. A few weeks beforehand, the United States' Central Intelligence Agency issued this report, assessing the state of the Soviet Military after its failed coup attempt in August of that year. The CIA observed that the Soviet Military suffered from two problems simultaneously. It was being starved of its traditionally huge budget, causing serious hardship for rank and file soldiers and thus disrupting the traditional chain of command. It was also suffering from general disorientation due to the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the end of the Cold War. The report predicted that, despite hardships, the Soviet military would continue on in compromised form, mainly because it was still preferable to civilian life for most of its soldiers and employees.