Glossary

Note Italic type indicates that there is a glossary entry for the word italicized.

ABM Anti-ballistic missile – a missile capable of destroying incoming ballistic missiles or their warheads before they impact on their target.

ABM Treaty The ABM Treaty, signed on 3 October 1972, limited both the USA and the USSR to two ABM sites. One allowable site was the national capital; the other was at an ICBM field. Not more than 100 launchers and 100 missiles were allowed at each site.

ACE Allied Command Europe (NATO).

AFCENT Allied Forces Central Europe (NATO).

ALCM Air-launched cruise missile.

APC Armoured personnel carrier. A tracked or wheeled vehicle designed to carry infantrymen.

Army formations and units Armies used the same terms to describe their constituent elements, but with widely differing meanings. In general, the following meanings apply.

BATTALION The smallest permanent tactical unit, made up of a number of companies, each consisting of a number of platoons. A battalion was commanded by a lieutenant-colonel in some armies and by a major in others. Battalions varied in size from about 500 to 1,000 men. There were various types of battalion, their role normally being indicated in their title – e.g. 234 Motor Rifle Battalion, 2 Armoured Battalion, 24 Infantry Battalion, etc. Most British battalions had names – e.g. 1st Battalion, Green Howards – and did not have an indicator of their role.

REGIMENT ‘Regiment’ had four rather different meanings:

• In some armies a regiment was a permanent tactical formation consisting of two to four battalions, but without integral supporting arms such as armour and artillery.

• In the Soviet army a regiment was a permanent tactical unit, consisting of a number of battalions with integral all-arms support. There were three motor-rifle regiments and one tank regiment in a motor-rifle division. The Soviet regiment was thus equivalent in most respects to a NATO brigade.

• In some armies a regiment was an administrative and historical entity, composed of a number of battalions, each of which operated as a totally independent tactical unit. For example, the Queen’s Regiment in the UK consisted of a number of battalions which operated independently of each other – thus, 1/QUEENS, 2/QUEENS, etc.

• Some armies designated battalion-sized units with a cavalry history as a regiment. Thus, in the British army units designated as tank, artillery and engineer regiments were, in fact, the same size as battalions.

BRIGADE A brigade was composed of a number of battalions – usually three tank battalions and one infantry battalion (armoured brigade) or one tank battalion and three infantry battalions (infantry brigade):

• In most armies a brigade was an all-arms force, which included integral artillery, engineer, aviation, communications and logistics units.

• In some armies brigades could be reinforced, when they were usually known as ‘brigade groups’.

• The brigade commander was usually a brigadier-general, a brigadier (British army) or a colonel.

DIVISION Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact had divisions, composed of between two and five brigades (regiments in the Soviet army). These were designated as either ‘tank’ or ‘infantry’, depending upon which arm predominated. In most armies a division was commanded by a major-general, or equivalent. It is important to note that there were wide variations in numerical strength and capability between the divisions of different nations.

CORPS (NATO) A corps was the highest national formation and was made up of a number of divisions, plus a large number of corps troops (additional artillery, engineers, signals, logistics troops, etc.). Corps were not, however, designated ‘tank’ or ‘infantry’, but the national designator was always used (e.g. 3 (US) Corps). A corps was commanded by a general or lieutenant-general.

ARMY (WARSAW PACT) In the Warsaw Pact an army was approximately equivalent in size to a NATO corps and included its predominant arm in its title – e.g. ‘Tank Army’ or ‘Combined-Arms Army’.

ARMY GROUP (NATO) Originally used to designate a collection of armies (e.g. 21st Army Group), but in NATO the term was used to describe a collection of corps (e.g. CENTAG = Central Army Group). A NATO army group was commanded by a general.

Assured destruction Strategic term, describing the ability to inflict unacceptable damage on an enemy.

ASW Anti-submarine warfare.

AWACS Airborne warning and control system – an aircraft-mounted radar system designed to detect and track enemy aircraft and land vehicles, and to direct action against them.

Ballistic missile A projectile, propelled into space by a rocket motor, which then follows a ballistic trajectory – i.e. one governed mainly by gravity and drag.

Battalion See Army formations and units.

Bias The distance between the aiming point for one or more warheads directed at the same target and the mean point of impact.

Booster A self-contained rocket motor attached to a missile to give extra thrust for take-off, after which it was usually jettisoned.

Brigade See Army formations and units.

Brigade group See Army formations and units.

Bundeswehr The armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, comprising the Bundesmarine (navy), Bundesheer (army) and Luftwaffe (air force).

Bus See Post-boost vehicle.

C³ Command, control and communications – equipment, personnel and procedures used to acquire, process and disseminate data needed by decision-makers to plan and control operations.

CENTAG Central Army Group (NATO).

CEP Circular error probable – a term used to describe the delivery precision of a weapon, particularly a missile warhead. The CEP is the radius of a circle, centred upon the mean point of impact, within which 50 per cent of the warheads aimed at the target will fall. The CEP is normally assessed at the missile’s maximum range; at less than maximum range the CEP reduces in proportion.

Civil defence (CD) Passive measures taken to minimize the effects of enemy action upon all aspects of civil life, and to restore utilities and facilities following an attack.

CIWS Close-in weapons system – naval gun systems designed to give last-ditch defence against incoming aircraft and missiles.

CMP Counter-military potential – a static measure of the ability of nuclear weapons to damage hard targets such as missile silos.

Cold launch A method of expelling a missile from a launch tube using compressed air. The missile main motor fires once the missile is clear of the tube, which is therefore not damaged and can be reused. See also Hot launch.

Conventional power A propulsion or generating system which does not use nuclear power. Usually applied to ships and submarines.

Conventional war A war in which nuclear weapons are not used.

Conventional warhead A non-nuclear warhead, normally high-explosive.

Corps See Army formations and units.

Counter-force Describes strategic attacks using nuclear weapons directed against enemy weapons and military forces, especially nuclear-weapon delivery systems.

Counter-value Describes the use of strategic forces to attack selected enemy population centres, industries and other resources which constitute the essential fabric of the nation.

CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Cruise missile A missile which flies for long distances supported by lift from the wings and/or body. Power is provided by an air-breathing engine, such as a turbojet. Cruise missiles could be launched from aircraft (ALCM = air-launched cruise missile), the ground (GLCM), ships or submarines (SLCM).

Deterrence A political and military strategy designed to prevent potential enemies from taking armed action, or, if conflict should break out, to prevent it from escalating.

Displacement The displacement of a warship is the mass of water displaced by a ship’s hull when floating. In this book the displacement given for surface warships is the ‘standard’ figure – i.e. when the ship is fully manned and stored, but without fuel or reserve feed-water for boilers. The figure is expressed in tonnes, using published figures for navies using the metric system and imperial tons or US short tons converted to metric tonnes in the case of British and US warships. For submarines the displacement is given for the submarine when submerged.

Division See Army formations and units.

Dual capable Able to carry either nuclear or conventional bombs/missiles (aircraft) or warheads (missiles/guns).

ECCM Electronic counter-countermeasures – a form of electronic warfare designed to overcome enemy use of ECM and thus permit continued use of the electromagnetic spectrum.

ECM Electronic countermeasures – a form of electronic warfare designed totally or partially to prevent effective use by the enemy of the electromagnetic spectrum.

ELINT Electronic intelligence – intelligence derived from enemy electronic emissions other than telecommunications (e.g. radar). See also SIGINT.

EMP Electromagnetic pulse – a sharp pulse of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation produced by a nuclear explosion.

EMT Equivalent megatonnage – a measure of damage by nuclear weapons against ‘soft targets’ such as cities.

Enhanced radiation (ER) – describes a nuclear weapon designed to release about 80 per cent of its yield in high-energy neutrons, resulting in a weapon more dangerous to people than to military equipment or structures. Also known as the ‘neutron bomb’.

ER See Enhanced radiation.

First strike The first offensive move in a conflict. As applied to nuclear warfare, it implies an attempt to eliminate effective retaliation by the enemy.

Flexible response A strategy based on the capability to act effectively across the entire spectrum of war, at the time, place and manner of the user’s choosing.

FOBS Fractional Orbital Bombardment System – a nuclear warhead delivered by a partial orbit, enabling the approach to be made from any direction.

Fratricide The situation when more than two nuclear warheads arrive nearly simultaneously at the same target, and the first warhead to explode therefore either destroys or diverts the following warhead(s).

FRG Federal Republic of Germany – during the period covered by this book, West Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland).

Front end The forward part of a missile, containing the post-boost vehicle, warheads, penetration aids, etc.

GDR German Democratic Republic – East Germany (Deutsche Demokratik Republik).

General war Armed conflict involving the two superpowers.

GLCM Ground-launched cruise missile.

GSFG Group of Soviet Forces Germany.

GZ Ground zero – the point on the earth’s surface upon, above or below which a nuclear explosion takes place. All effects of the explosion are expressed at distances from GZ.

Hardened Protected against the effects of nuclear weapons. This term was usually applied to ‘hardened aircraft shelters’ (HAS), ‘hardened equipment shelters’ (HES), pilot briefing facilities (PBF), etc.

Hardness The ability of a target to withstand a nuclear explosion and its effects of shock, heat, radiation and EMP. Normally expressed in terms of overpressure withstood in kgf/cm².

HE High explosive.

Hot launch A launch in which a missile is expelled from the launch tube using the missile’s main motor. See also Cold launch.

IBM See IRBM.

ICBM Intercontinental [range] ballistic missile – a land-based missile with a range in excess of 3,000 nautical miles (5,560 km).

ICV Infantry combat vehicle – an armoured vehicle designed to carry between six and ten infantrymen, who were able to fire their weapons from within the vehicle. Sometimes also known as ‘mechanized-infantry combat vehicle’ (MICV).

INF Intermediate-range nuclear forces – e.g. IRBMs.

Infantry Infantry are troops who, traditionally, capture ground in the attack and hold ground in the defence. In the Cold War the designation ‘infantry’ was frequently qualified to indicate their method of transportation:

• Mechanized infantry. Troops whose basic means of transport was infantry combat vehicles.

• Motorized infantry. Troops which moved in wheeled vehicles.

• Motor-rifle. English translation of the Russian designation of mechanized infantry; applied to Warsaw Pact forces only.

• Panzer grenadiers. West German designation for troops mounted in infantry combat vehicles and who were capable of fighting from those vehicles.

INR Initial nuclear radiation.

IRBM Intermediate-range ballistic missile – a land-based missile with a range between 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km) and 3,000 nautical miles (5,560 km). In about 1980 this term changed to ‘IBM’.

Knot A speed of one nautical mile per hour.

KT Kiloton – see Yield.

LANDJUT Land Forces Jutland (NATO).

Launch-on-warning Strategic retaliation using ICBMs on receiving information of incoming hostile ballistic missiles. The aim was for the retaliating ICBMs to be clear of their silos before the hostile missiles arrived, thus ensuring their survival and continued flight to their targets.

Launch-under-attack Strategic retaliation using ICBMs in which the missiles would be launched while actually under attack. This implies that the executive decision to launch has not been given in sufficient time to achieve launch-on-warning.

Launch weight The total weight of a fully loaded missile at the time of launch, including boosters, post-boost vehicle and warheads.

Limited war A conflict in which the participants exercise some form of geographical or escalatory restraint, either voluntarily or under pressure from outside powers.

LRTNF Long-range tactical nuclear forces.

Mach number Speed expressed as multiples of the speed of sound (Mach 1), which at sea level is approximately 1,200 km/h, but varies with temperature and pressure.

MAD Mutually assured destruction – the ability of the two superpowers to impose unacceptable destruction on their opponent at any time during the course of a nuclear war, even following a surprise attack.

MCMV Mine-countermeasures vessel.

Mechanized infantry See Infantry.

MICV See ICV.

MIRV Multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle – one of several warheads mounted on ICBMs or SLBMs which can be targeted on separate targets up to several hundred kilometres apart.

MNC Major NATO command/commander.

Motorized infantry See Infantry.

Motor-rifle See Infantry.

MRBM Medium-range ballistic missile – a land-based missile with a range between 600 nautical miles (1,110 km) and 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km).

MRV Multiple re-entry vehicle – one of several separate warheads mounted on ICBMs or SLBMs which can be targeted on the same target or on a number of targets sited very close to each other. In principle, this is similar to firing pellets from a shotgun.

MSBS Mer–Sol Balistique Stratégique – the French designation for France’s submarine-launched ballistic missile.

MSC Major subordinate command/commander (NATO).

MT Megaton – See Yield.

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

NATO designations During the Cold War, NATO seldom knew the correct Soviet names for Warsaw Pact equipment. Such equipment was therefore assigned ‘reporting names’ and designations.

Missile designations consisted of a type identifier (usually two letters) and a unique number. The type identifier could be suffixed by ‘N’ for a naval system and by ‘X’ for an experimental system. The type numbers were allocated sequentially, and sub-types were indicated by ‘Modification’ numbers (the original version being ‘Mod 0’). The most common type designators were:

• SS – surface-to-surface (e.g. SS-18, SS-N-20);

• SA – surface-to-air. (e.g. SA-16 Mod 1).

A different system applied to Soviet tanks, which were designated by the letter ‘T’ followed by the year that production began (e.g. T-54, T-55, T-72, etc.).

Soviet submarine classes were given nicknames, which were supposed to be applied in alphabetical order (e.g. Whiskey class, Alfa class, etc.). The exception to this system was when NATO allocated the name ‘Typhoon class’ to a type known to be named ‘Taifun’ by the Soviets. The system became confused, however, when NATO ran out of letters and designated a new class the Akula class (akula is the Russian word for shark), following which the Soviets named a different class the Akula class.

Naval Infantry Soviet marines.

NBC Nuclear, biological, chemical (weapons).

nm Nautical mile. 1 nm = 1.853 km.

NORTHAG Northern Army Group (NATO).

Nuclear propulsion/power A system using nuclear energy – usually applied to ships and submarines.

Nuclear war A war in which nuclear weapons are used.

Panzer grenadiers See Infantry.

PBV See Post-boost vehicle.

Penaid See Penetration aid.

Penetration aid A device, carried on the post-boost vehicle on an ICBM or SLBM, which is designed to confuse the enemy as to the number and trajectory of the real warheads.

Post-boost vehicle (PBV) A device carried on the front end of a missile, upon which are mounted the re-entry vehicles (RVs), plus guidance and propulsion packages and penetration aids, which dispenses the RVs sequentially towards their targets. Also known as a ‘bus’.

PSC Principal subordinate command/commander (NATO).

Regiment See Army formations and units.

Re-entry vehicle (RV) A body carried on the front end of a missile to protect a nuclear warhead when the missile re-enters the earth’s atmosphere.

RV See Re-entry vehicle.

SAC Strategic Air Command (US).

SACEUR Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO).

SACLANT Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (NATO).

SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (or Treaty). There were two SALT treaties:

• SALT I. Signed in Moscow on 26 May 1972; came into effect on 3 October 1972.

• SALT II. Signed in Vienna on 18 June 1979. Not ratified by the US Senate, but the USA and the USSR tacitly agreed to adhere to its terms.

SAM Surface-to-air missile.

Second strike A strategic concept in which the victim of a surprise first strike retains sufficient nuclear capability to launch a strike which will attempt to inflict unacceptable damage on the aggressor.

SHAPE Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (NATO).

Ship designation The system of ship designation developed by the US navy in the 1920s was adopted first by NATO and subsequently by the majority of navies around the world. The main designations relevant to this book are:

Aircraft carriers	CV (general); CVN (nuclear-powered); CVA (attack); CVS (anti-submarine)
Amphibious	LSD (dock landing ship); LST (tank landing ship)
Battleship	BB
Battlecruiser	BC
Cruiser	CC (general); CA (with guns); CG (with missiles)
Destroyer	DD (general); DDG (with missiles)
Frigate	FF (general); FFG (with missiles)
Intelligence collector	AGI
Mine countermeasures	MCMV (general); MH (minehunter); MS (minesweeper); MSC (coastal minesweeper); MSI (inshore minesweeper); MSO (ocean-going minesweeper)
Submarine	SS (general); SSN (nuclear-powered); SSBN (with ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered)

SIGINT Signals intelligence – intelligence derived from monitoring enemy telecommunications systems. See also ELINT.

SIOP Single Integrated Operational Plan – the US master plan for strategic nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Specific versions were identified by the year, which was added as a suffix – e.g. ‘SIOP-68’.

SLBM Submarine-launched ballistic missile. (Note that, unlike land-based missiles, SLBMs were not subdivided according to range.)

SLCM Ship/submarine-launched cruise missile.

Soft In strategic terms, describes an unprotected (as opposed to a ‘hardened’) target.

SRAM Short-Range Attack Missile.

SS Submarine, conventionally (i.e. diesel-electric) powered.

SSBN Submarine, ballistic, nuclear – i.e. a nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine.

SSBS Sol–Sol Balistique Stratégique – the French designation for France’s land-based ballistic missiles. Note that, although designated ‘strategic’ by France, SSBSs were intermediate-range (IRBMs) according to the US/Soviet definition agreed in SALT.

SSM Surface-to-surface missile.

SSN Submarine, nuclear – i.e. a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Stage A self-contained rocket motor and fuel tank which is an integral part of the missile structure and which drops away when its fuel has been used up.

Surface zero The point on the sea’s surface vertically above or below the centre of a nuclear explosion – equivalent to ground zero for an explosion on land.

TEL Transporter–erector–launcher. A wheeled or tracked device which carried a missile, raised it into the firing position, and then launched it.

Throw weight The useful weight which can be placed on a trajectory towards the target by the main or boost stage of a missile. In SALT II, throw weight was defined as the sum of the weights of the re-entry vehicle (s), plus any post-boost vehicle, plus penetration aids, and their releasing mechanisms.

TREE Transient radiation effects on electronics.

USAF United States Air Force.

V/STOL Vertical/short take-off and landing.

Warhead The explosive device of a weapon, either nuclear or conventional. In a ballistic missile the warhead was carried inside a re-entry vehicle.

Yield The energy released in a nuclear explosion, expressed in terms of the equivalent number of tons of TNT (high explosive) releasing the same energy. It is normally expressed in terms of thousands of tons of TNT (kilotons) or millions of tons (megatons). The energy is principally released as nuclear radiation, thermal radiation and blast energy, the proportions of each depending upon the medium in which the explosion occurs – i.e. whether the explosion is an air, surface or subsurface burst.