APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070015-2
Armed Forces
A. Defense establishment (S)
The East German armed forces consist of ground, naval, and air and air defense forces, and these elements, plus a militarized security force known as the Frontier Command, make up the National People's Army (NVA). The armed forces constitute a single, closely integrated, and centrally controlled force. They are under full operational and administrative control of the Minister for National Defense, who is assisted by a unified high command.
The 119,500-man armed forces, while one of the smallest, is among the most modern and best equipped of the Eastern European Communist forces. The ground forces have approximately 90,000 men organized into six divisions. The naval forces, with a personnel strength of about 17,500, are equipped with over 450 ships and craft, predominantly patrol ships and minesweepers. The 12,000-man air forces are equipped with about 400 aircraft, of which 320 are jet fighters. The air defense component draws personnel from the ground forces to man surface-to-air missile (SAM), anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), and air control and warning (ACW) radar units; pilots and other air personnel for air defense are provided by the air forces.
The armed forces have a limited offensive capability, but in fulfillment of their mission of territorial defense, they are capable of defensive action against a Western force of eight to 10 divisions. They could not, however, maintain their present state of development or conduct sustained military operations without continued Soviet support. During wartime, the armed forces would be employed as a part of the overall Warsaw Pact effort. The Soviets consider East Germany as part of the first strategic echelon of the Warsaw Pact forces.
The East German armed forces are modeled along the lines of the Soviet forces, and the Soviets exercise considerable influence on East German military developments. The East German regime is dependent on Moscow, and the armed forces are ostensibly subordinate to the unified command of the Warsaw Pact in Moscow.
The USSR has a military force of about 333,000 stationed in East Germany, organized under the Group of Soviet Forces, Germany (GSFG). Consisting largely of ground troops (about 200,000) and air personnel (about 32,700), this force exercises a real, though generally indirect, influence on East German forces.
Militarized security forces, in addition to the 49,500-man Frontier Command under the Minister for National Defense, include the 11,000-man Alert Police under the Minister of Interior and the 3,500-man Security Guard Regiment under the Minister for State Security. These forces have a paramilitary capability and could be utilized to augment the armed forces in time of war in rear area security, traffic control, protection of lines of communication, and other such specialized duties.
1. Military history
After the collapse of Germany at the close of World War II, Allied policy, as outlined in the Potsdam Agreement of August 1945, called for Germany's complete disarmament. All ground, sea, and air forces were to be disbanded. War industry was either to be eliminated or converted to controlled non-military production. Implementation of the agreed policy was initiated by the quadripartite Allied Control Council.
In March 1948 the USSR withdrew from the Allied Control Council and during the summer began to establish militarized "police forces" in East Germany. Alert units were formed within the framework of the People's Police. In 1949 these units were transferred to centralized control, under the Directorate for Schooling, and were provided Soviet advisors and military equipment. In October 1949 the alert units were placed under the Main Directorate for Training of the Ministry for Interior, and in 1950 these units were redesigned the Garrisoned People's Police.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070015-2
