TAKE 2 OF 2 -- AIR DEFENSE FORCES CHIEF INTERVIEWED

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0005517695
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
June 24, 2015
Document Release Date: 
January 31, 2011
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-2010-00651
Publication Date: 
April 14, 1991
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon DOC_0005517695.pdf152.94 KB
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-000207057 UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/3U MIS *** BEGIN MESSAGE 26 *.** SERIAL=LD1404191891 UDN=X(50130) CLASS=UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS SERIAL: LD1404191891 PASS: ATTN TV CENTER COPY TO PROD TAC COUNTRY: USSR SUBJ: TAKE 2 OF 2 -- AIR DEFENSE FORCES CHIEF INTERVIEWED REF: LD1404191791 MOSCOW CTV1 RUSSIAN 140945///HAVE PULLED OUT? TEXT: ((TEXT)) ((TRETYAK)) HUNGARY, POLAND, AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA. OF COURSE, WE HAD OUR RECONNAISSANCE RANGE PERIMETER 600-700 KM FURTHER FORWARD. NOW IT RUNS ALONG THE USSR STATE BORDER. AND NATURALLY THE WHOLE SYSTEM HAS TO BE REVIEWED. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING SO WE CAN SEE AHEAD. BUT NOW OUR FRIENDS1ARE PUTTING FORWARD PROPOSALS TO CONCLUDE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS. NOT MULTILATERAL LIKE WE HAD, BUT EACH COUNTRY WITH OUR COUNTRY, SO THAT WE MUTUALLY INFORM EACH OTHER. WE HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THIS OPTION, AND FOR EXAMPLE, THE ROMANIAN COMRADES HAVE ARRANGED A MEETING WITH US IN MAY, WHERE WE ARE GOING TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT ON JOINT INFORMATION ON THE AIR SITUATION AHEAD. WE WILL BE PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THEM FROM OVER THE SEA AND THE FLANKS. OBVIOUSLY THINGS ARE MORE COMPLICATED FOR US NOW. BUT, WE CAN REORGANIZE THE SYSTEM AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING. ((VOVNENKO)) COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US WHETHER THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LATEST IN THE --PERSIAN GULF BROUGHT PROPERLY TO THEIR NOTICE? IS IT BEING STUDIED? AND HOW WELL ARE YOU, AS THE PVO COMMANDER IN CHIEF, INFORMED ABOUT WHAT TOOK PLACE? ((TRETYAK)) AS THE PVO WE HAVE TO BE READY TO FIGHT AGAINST AIR SPACE ATTACKS AT ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT. SURPRISE PLAYS A PART HERE AND RAISED COMBAT READINESS, OR OTHER STATES OF READINESS, IS IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN AT ANY MOMENT GO UP AGAINST THE ENEMY. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. WELL, AS FAR AS AIR FORCES WERE CONCERNED, THEY HAD THE ((MIG)) 21'S THERE, THE 23'S, AND 25'S, AND EVEN THE 29'S. BUT, HUSAYN SENT MOST OF THEM TO IRAN. AND ACCORDING TO THE DATA WHICH WE HAVE, DEPENDING ON THEIR ACCURACY, ONLY SEVERAL PLANES WERE SHOT DOWN BY THE AIR FORCES. ((VOVNENKO)) THE REST (?WENT THROUGH) SPACE SYSTEMS? ((TRETYAK)) SPACE SYSTEMS HAD ONLY ONE ROLE THERE. FIRST, THEY GATHERED INTELLIGENCE AND MONITORED SURFACE-TO-SURFACE OPERATIONAL TACTICAL MISSILES, JUST AS OVER-THE-HORIZON STATIONS DID, AND ORIENTED THEIR PATRIOT ANTIAIRCRAFT 'MISSILE SYSTEMS FOP FIRING. AND IF ONE WERE TO SAY THAT THE PATRIOT IS HIGHLY EFFICIENT, I WOULD NOT AGREE. ALTHOUGH AT ONE TIME THE AMERICANS STATED THE PATRIOT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE AN ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSE WEAPON, THEY NOW HAVE SHOWN THE WHOLE WORLD THAT THEY DEVELOPED IT NOT ONLY AS AN ANTIAIRCRAFT SYSTEM, BUT AN ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM AS WELT.~~ . THEIR RECONNAISSANCE WAS VERY WELL DEPLOYED.' T1ERE WERE THE AWACS PLANES, THERE WERE THE F-111E ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES PLANES, THE TR-1 RECONNAISSANCE PLANES, THE RS-135 STRATEGIC UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS Approved for Release J~.o10 UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS RECONNAISSANCE PLANES. EVERYDAY THERE WERE UP TO 10 OF THEM. THEY WERE THERE ALL THE TIME WATCHING IRAQ COMPLETELY. THEY WERE COMPLETELY IN CHARGE OF THE SITUATION. AND NATURALBY, OF COURSE,- THINGS WERE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE DEFENDING SIDE.. THE CONCLUSION FOR US IS, OF COURSE, TO HAVE HIGH COMBAT READINESS AND S1)CH AIR DEFENSE ASSETS AS CAN FIGHT AGAINST THE NEW, MOST ADVANCED AIR AND SPACE MEANS OF ATTACK AT ANY MOMENT. ((PASSAGE OMITTED: TRETYAK SAYS NO UFO'S HAVE BEEN RECORDED BY THE AIR DEFENSE FORCES)) ((VOVNENKO)) DO YOU YOURSELF BELIEVE IN UFO'S?? ((TRETYAK)) AS YET I DO NOT. I BELIEVk SOMETHING ELSE, THAT MODERN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE CAPABLE OF CREATING SUCH SPACECRAFT THAT COULD APPEAR ABOVE US. ((VOVNENKO)) THAT IS SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN TOO. ((TRETYAK)) THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON. ((VOVNENKO)) YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN MAN'S INGENUITY. ((TRETYAK)) SDI IS A COMPLICATED THING, AND THE PLATFORMS THAT THEY ARE PROMISING TO MAKE IN THEIR THOUSANDS ARE GOING TO APPEAR IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD. AND, THEY CAN BE PROGRAMMED TO BE AT ANY ALTITUDE. SO, WE HAVE TO WATCH THIS CAREFULLY. ((VOVNENKO)) WHEN THERE IS TALK ABOUT CUTBACKS IN WEAPONS, ABOUT CONVERSION, EVEN MORE AND MORE OFTEN ABOUT CUTTING BACK THE ARMY, HOW IS ALL THIS RECEIVED BY THE COUNTRY'S PVO? WHAT ABOUT THAT? ((TRETYAK)) IF I AM TO BE UNEQUIVOCAL, THIS IS PAINFUL TO US. THEY SAID THE RIGHT THING, THAT QUANTITIVE CUTBACKS SHOULD BE MADE UP FOR IN QUALITY, THAT IS, WEAPONS. THAT IS CORRECT. BUT, THEY HAVE TAKEN MONEY AWAY FROM US. I CANNOT BUY FROM THE STATE AS MUCH OF THIS EQUIPMENT AS I NEED TO MAKE UP THE QUALITY-. AND ALL WE HAVE IS THE MONEY THEY ALLOCATED TO THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND WHICH HE PASSED ON TO US, THE COMMANDERS IN CHIEF. CONSEQUENTLY, THE RATES OF REEQUIPMENT ARE GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER AND THIS WILL EFFECT COMBAT READINESS. OF COURSE, OUR SCIENCE HAS TO KEEP UP. THE CUTBACKS IN MONIES FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WORK IS ALSO GOING TO HAVE AN EFFECT. AND THESE HAVE BEEN CUT BACK A LOT. THINGS THAT ARE FINE NOW WILL BE OBSOLETE IN FIVE TO 10 YEARS. THEY HAVE TO PRODUCE NEW, ADVANCED THINGS. ((VOVENKO)) OF COURSE, OVER 10 YEARS ANY PROGAM WOULD.... ((TRETYAK, INTERRUPTING)) SO HERE TOO IT IS A QUESTION OF MONEY. BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY IS NOT EASY. AND FOR THE TIME BEING, HOWEVER MUCH WE MIGHT WANT IT, THE COUNTRY CANNOT GIVE ANYTHING EVEN TO THE PVO TROOPS WHICH ARE ON THE VERY FRONT LINE AND ARE THE FIRST TO GO INTO BATTLE, IN THE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS WE ARE IN NOW. CONSEQUENTLY WE WILL HAVE TO MAINTAIN HIGH COMBAT READINESS WITH WHAT WE HAVE, MAINTAIN THE TECHNICAL STATE OF ALL EQUIPMENT, KEEP IT WELL MAINTAINED, AND BE READY TO CARRY OUT OUR TASKS. ((VIDEO SHOWS TRETYAK, INTERCUT WITH SHOTS OF PLOTTERS, RADAR OFFICERS, RADAR SCREENS. END CAPTION CONGRATULATES PVO TROOPS ON THEIR DAY OVER SHOTS OF TRETYAK WELCOMING VETERANS AND CADETS)) (ENDALL) 140945 14/2141Z APR BT #3034 NNNN UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS -CO0207057 UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS UNCLAS 3P/PMU STV/SU MIS