Soviets to Trim Military Budget by 8% Next Year
MOSCOW — The Soviet Union said today it will slash military spending by more than 8% next year and gave the most detailed breakdown to date of its armed forces.
Col. Gen. Nikolai Chervov said at a news conference that the 8.2% cut, to $115 billion, is part of a program of shifting the Soviet armed forces from an offensive to a more defensive role.
The number of men in the armed force as of Jan. 1 will be 3,993,000, he said, without specifying what category of personnel the figure included.
“The new political thinking in defense doctrines allowed the military to reduce the budget in practical terms,” said Chervov.
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