Watch on the Ruhr

Sometime in the early Seventies, the most powerful peacetime alliance in history discovered that it might lose that distinction. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, covering a front from Finnmark to Armenia, found itself facing the results of a decade-long build-up by the Warsaw Pact.

The Pact has always been strong in certain areas. Tanks and infantry are traditional favorites of Soviet military strategists, and the Soviets’ strength in these categories has grown steadily. Since 1973, their tank inventories have increased by 40 per cent, while 100,000 more soldiers have been stationed in Central Europe alone.

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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Sometime in the early Seventies, the most powerful peacetime alliance in history discovered that it might lose that distinction. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, covering a front from Finnmark to Armenia, found itself facing the results of a decade-long build-up by the Warsaw Pact.

The Pact has always been strong in certain areas. Tanks and infantry are traditional favorites of Soviet military strategists, and the Soviets’ strength in these categories has grown steadily. Since 1973, their tank inventories have increased by 40 per cent, while 100,000 more soldiers have been stationed in Central Europe alone.