Cold War Preparation and Survival

Cold Open. This is a declassified record titled “Cold War Preparation and Survival,” issued by the Department of the Air Force. The document was released on February twenty‑third, two thousand fifteen, and it provides a rare glimpse into U.S. assessments of Soviet civil‑defense and war‑survival programs during the Cold War. Provenance. The material was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, case number two zero one four dash zero six two four seven dash F, filed on August thirteenth, two thousand fourteen. The release date was February twenty‑third, two thousand fifteen, and the declassification authority was the Secretary of the Air Force. The Document. Colonel Andrea D. Tullos, Commander of the Forty‑two Air Base Wing, addressed Mr. John Greenewald: “This is our final reply to your August thirteenth, two thousand fourteen Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of Soviet War Survival Preparations. We processed your request under the Freedom of Information Act. There are forty‑eight pages which are fully releasable; one page is partially releasable in accordance with the following exemption: FOIA Exemption (b) (6) permits the government to withhold all information about individuals in ‘personnel and medical files and similar files’ when the disclosure of such information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. If you interpret this as an adverse action, you may appeal it to the Secretary of the Air Force within sixty calendar days from the date of this letter. Include in the appeal your reasons for reconsideration and attach a copy of this letter. Address your letter to: Secretary of the Air Force, through: Forty‑two C‑S/SCOK (FOIA/PA), Fifty LeMay Plaza South, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, three six one one two‑six three three four. There is no charge for processing this request since assessable fees are less than twenty‑five dollars.” The attachment is titled “Soviet War Survival Preparations” and bears the heading “Colonel, United States Air Force, Commander.” The report’s front matter lists: Report Number One‑seven‑seven, May nineteen seventy‑seven, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. The security classification is UNCLASSIFIED, distribution limited to United States Government agencies only. The abstract reads: “There has been a marked increase in Soviet war survival preparations since the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks of nineteen seventy‑two. The apparent motivation behind these preparations is a desire by the Soviets to attain a strategic superiority that effectively defeats the United States strategy of ‘assured destruction.’ This study examines the United States and Soviet views of assured destruction, United States and Soviet views on civil defense, and the implications of current Soviet preparations in the field of war survival. The study concludes that the Soviets are attempting to thwart United States strategic goals through their full‑scale use of war survival measures.” The introduction continues: “The Soviet Union is engaged in a massive program to protect its population, industry, and military‑economic base from the cataclysmic effects of a nuclear war. To accomplish this, they have undertaken the largest and most comprehensive war‑survival program in the world. The cornerstone of their war‑survival program is civil defense, which the Soviets regard as a factor of strategic importance in securing the defense of Russia. Concern for the defense of the population was evident as early as