USSR/WEAPONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200960002-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 21, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200960002-1
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
21 November 1983
USSR/WEAPONS JENNINGS: The U.S. intelligence community has come to some new
conclusions about the pace at which the Soviet Union is
modernizing its military. As ABC's John McWethy reports from
Washington, the latest assessments are something of a.surprise.
MCWETHY: According to the U.S. intelligence community, the
production of Soviet weapons turns out to be slower than
previously advertised, particularly in production of new
strategic nuclear weapons, things like missiles and
missile-firing submarines. In a report to Congress, the CIA
claims that since 1976, the growth rate of expenditures on new
weapons has been zero. In other words, since the mid-1970s the
number of tanks, ships, missiles, and aircraft rolling off the
assembly lines has been the same year after year not steadily
increasing as often claimed by the Reagan adminstration.
Intelligence officials cite three possible reasons for why the
purpose and production of weapons has slowed. One, the troubled
Soviet economy cannot meet the military's demands for raw
materials and weapons components; two, the Russians are buying
more and more sophisticated weapons and are finding, just as the
U.S. has, that these cost more, take longer to produce, and can
only be afforded in smaller numbers; three, there may have been
decisions in the Kremlin to slow the growth rate of new weapons,
but no one knows why. Despite the new analysis, Reagan
administration officials say the Soviets still far outspend the
U.S. on weapons, and there should be no change in the
president's five-year, $2 trillion plan to modernize America's
military. John McWethy, ABC News, the Pentagon.
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200960002-1