APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110020-1
- Suffrage: All citizens age 18 and over
- Elections: National and local alternating every 2 years; prepared by an electoral commission of the National Front; ballot supposed to be secret and voters permitted to strike names off ballot; more candidates than offices available; parliamentary elections held 14 November 1971; local elections, 22 March 1970
- Political parties and leaders: Socialist Unity (Communist) Party (SED), headed by First Secretary Erich Honecker, dominates the regime; 4 token parties (Christian Democratic Union, National Democratic Party, Liberal Democratic Party, and Democratic Peasants Party) and an amalgam of special interest organizations participate with the SED in National Front
- Voting strength: 1971 parliamentary elections: 98.33% voted the regime slate; 1970 local elections; 99.85% voted the regime slate
- Communists: 1.9 million party members
- Other special interest groups: Free German Youth, Free German Trade Union Federation, Democratic Women's Federation of Germany, German Cultural Federation (all Communist dominated)
- Member of: CEMA, IPU, Warsaw Pact, UNESCO
ECONOMY (U/OU)
- GNP: $45.1 billion (1972, at 1971 prices); per capita $2,650
- Agriculture: Food deficit area; main crops—potatoes, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and industrial crops
- Major industries: Metal fabrication, chemicals, light industry, brown coal, uranium, and shipbuilding.
- Electric power: Installed capacity 14.3 million kw.; production 72.8 billion kw.-hr. (1972), 4,270 kw.-hr. per capita
- Exports: $7,635 million (1972) at 1972 monetary conversion rate; metal products, basic materials, light industrial and agricultural products
- Imports: $7,248 million (1972) at 1972 monetary conversion rate; metal products, basic materials, light industrial, agricultural, and forestry products
- Major trading partners: 75% of export trade and 70% of import trade with Communist areas (1971), U.S.S.R. 38% of total trade, West Germany 10.2%
- Fiscal year: Same as calendar year
- Monetary conversion rate: DME2.8 = US$1 (early 1973); DME3.15 = US$1 (1972)
COMMUNICATIONS (S)
- Railroads: 9,109 route miles; 8,762 miles standard gage, 347 miles meter and narrow gages; 7,379 miles single trade, 1,730 miles double- and multiple-track; 843 miles electrified; government-owned
- Highways: 28,500 miles classified routes, mostly paved: 7,750 miles classified state or national highways including 950 miles of limited-access autobahns, 20,750 miles classified district roads. Additionally, 25,600 miles unclassified, natural-surface minor roads
- Inland waterways: 1,040 miles navigable, 1,040 miles of which are principal
- Pipelines: About 650 miles, mostly for crude products; estimated 116 miles of new lines under construction
- Ports: 5 major (Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz, Peenemuende), 12 minor
- Merchant marine: 138 ships (1,000 g.r.t. or over) totaling 1,043,247 g.r.t. and 1,392,260 d.w.t.; major part of fleet consists of 91 dry-cargo, 12 bulk cargo, and 10 tankers
- Civil air: 28-30 major transport aircraft
- Airfields: 146 total; 54 with permanent-surface runways; 49 with runways 8,000-11,999 ft; 42 with runways 4,000-7,999 ft.
- Telecommunications: Domestic and international facilities modern and adequate; good coverage provided by radio-broadcast stations (AM and FM), 6 million receivers; 12 regional and 7 local TV stations, 4.5 million TV receivers; 2,165,000 telephones (fully automatic)
DEFENSE FORCES (S)
- Military manpower: Males 15-49, 3,876,000; 3,140,000 fit for military service; about 132,000 reach military age (18) annually
- Personnel: (Estimated) ground forces 90,000, naval forces 17,500, air force 12,000, frontier groups 49,500, alert police 11,000, security guard 3,500
- Personnel in reserve (not on active duty): (Estimated) ground forces 700,000, naval forces 22,800, air force 4,400
- Major ground units: 6 divisions (4 motorized rifle, 2 tank), 1 SCUD (SS-1) tactical missile brigade, 4 regiments (2 artillery, 2 antiaircraft artillery), 1 airborne battalion, 2 antitank battalions
- Ships: 2 destroyer escorts, 141 coastal patrol types, 68 river/roadstead patrol types, 57 minesweepers, 28 amphibious types, 54 auxiliaries, 91 service craft
- Aircraft (operational): 399 including 329 jet (320 jet fighters and 9 turbofan transports), 8 turboprop transports, 13 prop transports, 14 turbine helicopters, 35 piston helicopters
- Missiles: 20 SA-2 SAM sites (120 launchers)[1]
- Supply: Dependent on Communist countries mainly the U.S.S.R. except for light infantry weapons, small arms ammunition, explosives, chemical warfare, defensive materiel, signal equipment, transport vehicles, some CW/BW warfare agents, and most naval ships
- Military budget: For fiscal year ending 31 December 1973, 8.3 billion DME; about 9.2% of total budget
SECRET
23
APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110020-1
- ↑ National SA-2 force capability is increased by presence of 27 operational SA-2 sites and 23 operational SA-3 sites which are subordinate to Soviet Group of Forces (stationed in) East Germany; deployment of SA-4 (23 SA-4 battalions) continues in defense of Soviet forces. Deployment of SA-6 has commenced, and elements of at least 2 regiments are believed to be present.
