Soviet Military Doctrine: Project RAND (report number R-223) by R. L. Garthoff (First Edition) (1953)

Project RAND: Soviet Military Doctrine by Raymond L. Garthoff is a foundational Cold War-era analysis of how the Soviet Union conceived, structured, and applied military doctrine in the years following World War II. Written for the U.S. Air Force and grounded in RAND's early strategic research, the study examines the intellectual, ideological, and historical forces shaping Soviet military thought. The Preface emphasizes the Red Army's dramatic rise from a previously unimpressive force to the world's largest and one of the most powerful ground armies after WWII. Its political and military influence secured communist control over Eastern Europe and posed a major threat to Western security despite America's temporary atomic monopoly. The text stresses that very few reliable English-language studies existed at the time, making Garthoff's work a crucial contribution. The book defines military doctrine as the guiding policies, assumptions, and principles that shape how a nation uses military means to achieve political objectives. Doctrine influences strategy, tactics, training, discipline, and weapons development. Sound doctrine leads to efficient attainment of national goals; flawed doctrine risks disaster. Garthoff's analysis explores how Soviet doctrine is inseparable from Marxism-Leninism, revolutionary origins, party control, and the USSR's global ambitions. The Author's Note reveals that the study is an expanded version of Garthoff's Yale dissertation, enriched by RAND colleagues' critiques and editorial support. The Contents are a structured, multi-part examination including: The relationship between politics and war in Soviet strategy; The formative debates over doctrine and the evolution of Soviet military science; Influences such as Marxism-Leninism, imperial Russian traditions, and foreign military thought; Detailed principles of war, including offensive primacy, defense, counteroffensive, and force relations; Overall, the report provides a deeply researched, ideologically aware, and strategically focused portrait of Soviet military thinking at a pivotal moment in Cold War history. Softcover edition. 587 pages. Dimensions: 6.25" by 9.5". Published by The RAND Corporation, California. 1st printing, 1953. B&W illustrations. Cover defect(s): Cover detached. Some tears. Some chipping. Some staining/marking/writing/stickers. Spine cover missing. Page defect(s): Some loose pages. 1.5 Pound Media Shipping Rate. Combine items and SAVE! Genre(s): Politics / Cold War / Military History. (B116).…