Since Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov was appointed to the office of commander in chief of the Soviet Navy in 1956, the Soviet Union has made a massive investment in naval construction, training, and operations. As a result, the Soviet Navy has grown from a coastal defense force to one of the world's two strongest navies. This book offers a detailed assessment of every major aspect of the Soviet Navy, from fleet structure and training facilities to command and control procedures and warfare and intelligence collection capabilities.

Preface -- The Tradition, the Service, and the People -- Soviet Naval Tradition -- The Soviet Naval High Command -- Soviet Naval Personnel and Schools -- The Naval Infantry -- Equipment -- Submarines -- Aircraft Carriers and Large Surface Combatants -- Amphibious Ships, Mine Warfare Ships, Corvettes, and Missile, Patrol, and Torpedo Craft -- The Soviet Naval Auxiliary Force -- Soviet Naval Aircraft -- Operational Capabilities -- Command and Control -- Antisubmarine Warfare -- Anticarrier Warfare -- Antiair Warfare -- Soviet Electronic Warfare and Ocean Surveillance Capabilities -- Soviet SLOC Interdiction -- Soviet Naval Intelligence -- Operations -- Geographic Problems -- The Northern Fleet and North Atlantic Naval Operations -- The Baltic Fleet -- The West African Naval Contingent -- Caribbean Naval Activity -- The Black Sea Fleet and Mediterranean Naval Operations -- The Pacific Fleet -- The Indian Ocean Squadron -- Soviet Naval Air Operations -- Soviet Naval Responses to Crises -- Port Visits -- Soviet Access to Port Facilities -- The Future -- Looking Toward the Future