The Central Front Chessboard: D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

General Galvin had decided to remain at NATO headquarters in Brussels for the time being instead of moving to his wartime headquarters. It was SACEUR’s prerogative where he chose to direct the defense of Western Europe. For the moment, Galvin preferred his office and the command room in Brussels to a command post nestled deep …

Search for the Stealth: D-1 (8 July, 1987) Part II **

Sergeant Richard Lawson walked into the pub shortly after 1400. The short, stocky NCO stopped and spoke to the bartender for a brief moment, then exchanged greetings with a few of the older gentlemen at the bar. Prokofiev got the idea they knew Lawson personally and were pumping him for news. On the other hand, …

Search for the Stealth: D-1 (8 July, 1987) Part I **

His diplomatic immunity was no longer valid, Sergei Prokofiev reminded himself. The British government had already declared most Soviet diplomats in the United Kingdom persona non grata. In effect, they were no longer welcomed here and the Brits were officially kicking them out of the country. The move had been announced three days ago and …

Peripheries: Western Pacific D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

The Western Pacific was an area ripe with potential flashpoints in early July, 1987. For the past week the main concern for US commanders in the Pacific was attempting to outline what the Soviet strategy in the WestPac area would be in the event of war. Coming in a close second was deciphering the situation …

Peripheries: Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

By D-1 CENTCOM was in the best possible shape considering the circumstances of the moment. A brigade of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division was on the ground at Cario West Air Base in Egypt. A detachment of E-3 Sentries, and two fighter squadrons, one of F-15s and the other of F-16s, aas well as …

Peripheries: Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf D-4 (5 July, 1987) **

In late June and early July of 1987, as tensions rose in Europe and elsewhere, the Persian Gulf region became a bastion of virtual serenity. As the superpowers moved towards an imminent conflict, the Iran-Iraq war receded dramatically.Whether this was by design, or circumstance remains debatable. It would be fair to assume Baghdad and Tehran …

Strategic Considerations: Red Banner Northern Fleet, D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

Commander of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet Admiral Ivan Matveyevich Kapitanets looked down at the stack of yellow message forms on his desk and shook his head tiredly. He was already aware of the disappointing news they contained. Each message was a report detailing the position, speed, and course of a ship under his …

Soviet Air Mobile Forces on the Eve of Battle: D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

  Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact had sensible notions about what moves the other would presumably make in the opening hours of a conflict. Awareness is not enough to bring about the defeat or neutralization of those moves on the battlefield, however. Countermoves and defensive measures were created, worked into preexisting operational plans, and …

A Glimpse at West Berlin: D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

Opinions on the fate of West Berlin in the event of war varied. On one end of the spectrum, a large number of military and political observers expected an East German/Soviet invasion of the city to announce the commencement of hostilities against the West. The primary reasoning for this belief was the amount of political …

The Media Goes To War: D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

Combat aircraft, soldiers, weapons, and equipment were not the only things streaming into Western Europe in those tense early July days. The global media was heading off to war, and there was a significant amount of anxiety all around. The relationship between the US military and the media had yet to heal from American media’s …