Big Time 1958

   How important the Middle East is, Serov believes that the Soviet Union knows it, and the United States will know it. This is based on the fact that the United States and the Soviet Union are equal opponents. The Suez Canal was in the hands of the Soviet Union, and the route for the U.S. to mobilize military power was inconvenient. Will such unfavorable conditions allow the United States to finally compromise and not interfere? This must not be possible.

   As long as Iraq and Iran choose war to divert conflicts and push up oil prices, no matter how inconvenient the transportation is or how bad the geography is. The United States will assemble a large army to kill from the Americas. This cannot be stopped by Soviet protests. No one can stop America with their mouths. North Korea and Vietnam have no major interests, and both can attract the United States to fight across the Pacific. What about the Middle East?

   It is naive to think that the United States does not dare to fight because it is afraid of death. The United States did not rely on the war wealth of the two world wars, but the wealth of desperation, which was piled up with human lives. In order to aid China, so many planes crashed on the Hump route that the aluminum wreckage on the Himalayas looked like a galaxy in the sun; the famous Memphis Belle was put on the screen just because it completed 25 bombing missions. The number of crews sent to bomb Germany can be seen to be small enough to survive twenty-four missions.

  I firmly believe that the United States will not stand up for some small countries, these are wishful thinking. Some things may seem small, but they are related to the credibility and hegemony of the United States, and the same is true for the Soviet Union. As long as Serov now verbally supports the two Iraqs sending troops, when the time comes for the United States, the Soviet Union must fight the United States face-to-face.

   When it came to real decision-making, the Soviet Union could not expect the United States to be afraid to make up its mind. Of course, this determination is also mutual. After the United States has made up its mind, can the Soviet Union make up its mind? This is Serov's problem, and his choice is the challenge.

   "Either a world war or a Middle East war, I believe the latter is much more likely." Sheloff was still thinking with a calm mind, and he must refer to Reagan's thinking at this time. What is the Cold War? We win, they lose, this is the Cold War…

  According to this simplistic thinking, which one is more likely, a world war or a Middle East war? Probably the Middle East war. Then, while dealing with the Middle East war in detail, the best and worst preparation is a world war.

   "Because the Iran-Iraq war did not break out, the military forces of Iraq and Iran in this era are not as strong as they have been in history, but there is still no problem!" Shelov made a gesture on the paper, listing the strength of the two sides in the Middle East camp.

  As the country directly responsible, Iraq currently has 500,000 soldiers, more than 6,000 tanks, and more than 2,000 armored vehicles. Kuwait's military strength is not to say, but it is completely incomparable with Iraq. It can be said that even if Iraq's military is weaker than half, Ye can kill Kuwait in one day.

Kuwait is currently one of the richest countries in the world, with foreign exchange reserves of about 80 billion, overseas assets of 100 billion, and annual oil revenue of more than 10 billion. Kuwait is a rare country in the Middle East and is good at investing. It has long expected Oil can't keep itself safe, and its overseas revenue already exceeds domestic oil revenue. Under such circumstances, Kuwait is of course unwilling to merge with Iraq. This is Kuwait's point of view to view the problem.

  Iraq is an oil exporting country, so its coastline is very important. The Iraqi coastline is only more than 50 kilometers, and the only outlet to the sea is also threatened by two islands of Kuwait. The Soviet Union has the most say on the issue of sea access. Think about the history of the Soviet Union and even Russia, and how many countries have fought against the issue of sea access.

  Iran's population and area are still larger than Iraq's. At present, it has 650,000 soldiers, the strongest air force in the Middle East, and the strongest navy in the Middle East given to the Soviet Union. The reason why it was given to the Soviet Union was because the large warships of the Iranian Navy were incorporated into the Soviet Mediterranean Fleet because of the mutual aid treaty signed by the Soviet Union and Iran.

  If the Iranian navy is still in its own port, the US Fifth Fleet will never leave Bahrain, and Iran's purpose will not be achieved. From the comparison between Iran and Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, the Soviet Union has an absolute advantage.

  In the outer circle, the allies of the United States also include Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Soviet Union has South Yemen and Syria. The United States has Turkey, the Soviet Union has Kurds. If you count the pro-British Oman, there is Egypt on the Soviet side. However, it is a question whether the British influential Oman and Jordan count as a circle of the United States.

   Considering that Margaret Thatcher was still holding on to the position of Prime Minister, Shelov still counted Oman and Jordan among them. It seems to be one-to-one, but in fact, there are Middle Eastern countries themselves under the surface, which cannot be clearly explained in one sentence or two.

   If you compare foreign aid, the Warsaw Pact is geographically closer to the Middle East. After defeating Turkey to establish Soviet Grad, the Soviet side of the Mediterranean transport line also has an advantage. How to look at it, if the war starts, the allies of the Soviet Union will have the advantage.

All these advantages are based on the fact that the United States does not do it by itself. If the United States does it, all these advantages are basically equal to the United States. Detouring to go to war can make the United States spend a little more transportation costs, but it will not change the United States than the Soviet Union. The fact that the military power of all foreign countries is much higher.

   Only the Soviet Union can withstand the US military, and only the US military is the opponent of the Soviet Red Army. Troops like the U.S. military cannot be defeated by accumulating numbers. Perhaps Iran can use its own territory to drag the U.S. military. The rest of the Middle East countries are almost the same desert countries as Libya, and the United States will not beat them. Libya is more difficult.

"The key point is still in Egypt. It will take five days for the Mediterranean fleet to cross the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf. If the Suez Canal is opened to the United States, it will be about this time!" Shelov deduced the war plan, and finally patted the table and said to himself, "That's it. If you really dare to come, let me try the U.S. military's land combat capabilities."

A few days later, Marshal Ahromeyev sent another plan to attack Iraq and Iran in the name of helping Kuwait and Bahrain by the U.S. military, including the platooning issues of the entire Middle East countries. How much military power can come soon, even the role of Australia and so on.

   "Australia?" Serov was noncommittal about this country. The condition for triggering the Middle East war was to start with Indonesia. Australia was in danger, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the Seventh Fleet in Japan were transferred to protect and threaten Indonesia. Of course there is also the role of the Soviet Pacific Fleet here.

   Once the U.S. Fifth Fleet left the Persian Gulf, this was when the Middle East Blitz began. Serov this time approved the Ministry of Defense's plan to stop the US Sixth Fleet from the Soviet Mediterranean Fleet, although the Soviet Red Navy was slightly less powerful. However, there are Greece and Syria in Yan'an, and Egypt, which is holding the Suez Canal, and blocking the Sixth Fleet is not a problem.

In such a large sea area as the Mediterranean Sea, the advantages of the U.S. Navy cannot be exerted. The Soviet Union has many land-based countries that can be used, such as Libya, Egypt, Albania, Yugoslavia, Greece, etc. The land-based fighters of these coastal countries can make up for it. Air power of the Soviet Red Navy.

   Blocking the Sixth Fleet's assistance is just an expedient measure. As long as the United States shows its determination, it will be as Serov thinks that inconvenient conditions will not be a reason for the US decision-makers to back down.

"Our Red Navy is not suitable for decisive ocean battles, but with the situation around the Arabian Sea, we can confront the U.S. Navy!" In the entire office, there are only two people, Marshal Ahromeyev and Serov, Comrade Minister of Defense introduced in detail. In the event of war from the Arabian Sea, the Soviet side's response plan.

  The most powerful time of the Soviet Union was in the 1970s, and the most powerful military was not in the 1970s. The Army had achieved absolute dominance over NATO in the early 1980s. As for the Red Navy? It also depends on the time. If the war starts this year, the Red Navy will be the strongest this year. If the war starts next year, it will be next year.

  Because the Soviet Red Navy is still building new warships, the same is true for the US Navy. Compared with the current navies of the two countries, the Soviet Red Navy is still weak.

   "You mean to threaten the U.S. Navy with nuclear submarines?" Shelov felt that this seemed unreliable.

"The 42nd submarine division of the Mediterranean Fleet cannot act alone. The lesson we have learned from the Cuban missile crisis is that surface forces must cooperate with the submarine division!" Marshal Ahromeyev said that he did not mean this, as for the submarine division. Nouns are literally. An organization of the Soviet Red Navy, a combat group based on nuclear submarines. There are also anti-submarine divisions specializing in anti-submarine, from which we can learn about the strong Soviet Army tradition.

   "General Secretary, if we transfer eight Squadrons of Backfire Bombers, with our geographical advantages in the Persian Gulf and our own naval strength, we can deal with eight Soukong hens at the same time." Marshal Ahromeyev assured.

"The number of aircraft carrier battle groups in the United States is fifteen. No, it must be counted as a lot of storage. With the Mediterranean Fleet plus land-based fighter jets and backfire bombers, can they deal with eight aircraft carriers?" Serov thought for a while, the Gulf War Among them, it seems that the United States, Britain and France combined, used nine aircraft carriers.

  Saudi, Bahrain, Cartel, Oman, UAE, Turkey and Diego Garcia have US air bases. Iran, Egypt, South Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Kurdish all have Soviet air bases.

   "Thank you, Comrade Akhromeyev." Serov came to his senses. He always thought that the Soviet Union had far surpassed the United States. In fact, after careful analysis, the United States was still very strong. He has saved this plan. In fact, it can be considered that the battle plan has been formulated, and the army's troop configuration does not need to be explained by the other party.