Preface

Russia and Eurasia Armed Forces Review Annual contains information and analysis of the Soviet and Russian military. It is intended to reflect the changes that have occurred in the territory of the former Soviet Union since its disintegration at the end of 1991, and the appearance of the truncated Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the newly independent republics that remain outside the fold. These developments clearly necessitate a change in REAFRA's structure. It will continue to carry important leadership and structural charts and tables but chapters will be devoted to understanding the processes unleashed by the Soviet Union's collapse. This present volume (15/1991) attempts to understand the collapse of the empire. Future volumes will combine 1992-1993 (Volume 16) with a focus on NIS militaries as well as the October 1993 uprising. Volume 17 will focus on 1994-1996 while Volume 18 will focus on 1996-2000. My intention is to see these appear at roughly nine-month intervals until REAFRA again is covering the current scene. In this manner it will continue the tradition of Soviet Armed Forces Review Annual (SAFRA) by providing present and future users with sound information and analysis.

The process of "catch-up" presents an editor with a host of problems. On one hand, it is absurd to produce volumes that ignore present realities. On the other, it would be equally unfortunate if REAFRA failed to provide a record of the view taken by analysts at the time. To meet both needs, a number of the papers that appear below reflect later developments in tone and emphasis, but still seek to present events from the viewpoint of participants and observers. In addition, a section of "contemporary analysis" that seeks to prove instructive to later students of both the collapse of the Soviet empire and the way this was viewed by the outside world is included

I inherited the editorship from Dr. David R. Jones, a foremost authority on security affairs. Without his guidance, this volume would not be possible. Dr. Jones' most outstanding contributions to this series were the annual Bedford Colloquiums on Soviet Political-Military Affairs that met between 1989 to 1993. Convoked by the Russian Research Center of Nova Scotia, these sessions were sponsored by a range of governmental organizations (e.g., the Canadian Department of National Defense, the Canadian Institute of International Peace and Security, the Swedish National Defense Research Establishment, the United States Army Soviet, later Foreign Military Studies Office) and academic institutions (e.g., Dalhousie and Acadia Universities in Nova Scotia). Thanks to these joint efforts a forum existed that permitted wide-ranging discussions that will be reflected in this and forthcoming volumes.

I dedicate this book to the Karasik and Greif families, and especially to my two daughters, Sarah and Rachel.

T.W.K.