MILNET: Soviet Command, Control, and Communications (C3I)

The former Soviet Union enjoyed an extensive network of C3I systems, the components of which can be categorized in the following three classes:

• The Soviet National Command Authority (NCA).
• Early Warning and attack assessment systems.
• Communications for dissemination of early warning intelligence to the Soviet NCA and Attack commands from the Soviet NCA to the Soviet Strategic Forces.

The Soviet NCA consists of the Council of Defense, the Main Military Council, and the General Staff. Together they control the entire Soviet military. The chain of control for the Soviet Strategic Forces flows from the Defense Council (General Secretary of the Supreme Soviet presiding), through the Military council, to the General Staff. From the General Staff, control flows to the Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF), the Navy's SLBM forces, and to the Soviet Air Force's Long-Range Aviation (LRA).

The NCA and the headquarters for the commands of all the five services are located in Moscow. Moscow thus has the world's only operational ABM system, and maintained passive protection such as huge underground shelters.