The External Function of Soviet Armed Forces

Over the past several years Western concern over Soviet external military activities, primarily in Third World countries, has grown dramatically. For example, U.S. Secretary of Defense Harold Brown observed recently that there were various explanations for the undeniable growth of Moscow\u27s military power. Some see it as a product of bureaucratic inertia, some as part of a deliberate plan to work the Soviet will on the international community, and others as a tool for supporting political goals. Events in Angola and the Horn of Africa in this I last named I view could well be prototypes for more ambitious projection of Soviet power in the future