Dale R. Herspring

The Military Factor in East German Soviet Policy

The Soviet military appears to be losing its privileged position within the Soviet national security apparatus. As long as Gorbachev continues to have the upper hand in Moscow, the Kremlins generals will be in for hard times. Assuming this trend continues, it could have the unexpected effect of enhancing the role of the German Democratic Republics military contribution to the Warsaw Pact. In turn the East German political leaderships long-term goal of using the military factor to influence Soviet behavior has advanced. The more reliable and more modern its armed forces, the greater the likelihood the East Germans will be able to translate this advantage into leverage-even if it is very limited-in dealing with the Soviets in other areas. Thus having the best armed forces in Eastern Europe may not necessarily be a sign of East German insecurity-as East Berlins efforts to please the Soviets are often viewed in the west. In fact, it may also reflect the GDRs desire to prove to the Soviets in the military as well as in other fields, such as trade, technology, and foreign policy, that the GDR is indispensable and therefore should occupy a preeminent position within the pact. Having recognized the futility of Walter Ulbrichts stubborn resistance to Soviet policy preferences toward the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), Erich Honecker decided early on that, despite the economic costs involved, he would attempt to use the GDRs technical, military, and political assets to argue for greater consideration by the Kremlin of East German concerns. To a certain degree, he has been successful. As Angela Stent has put it: