Considerable public debate has arisen recently over the Warsaw Pact's increasing military capability both in quantity and quality of land, sea and air weapons systems. The Soviet military potential has moved from mainly defensive to increased offensive power and a considerable proportion of Soviet resources is going into military research and development. These developments and trends are of increasing concern to the Western democracies particularly in the light of Soviet communism's constant aims and ambitions.

Professional military correspondents and commentators have been warning us on these trends in Soviet military power for a decade or more but a more public and general concern has arisen only in the last year or two, inspired in part perhaps by the lack of progress in SALT and MBFR negotiations as well as the disappointments arising out of the Helsinki agreements.