Word: commandant
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Brezhnev pushed him still further aside, and several times Kosygin submitted his resignation to the Politburo. Although there was little rapport between the two men, Brezhnev turned these offers down and continued to pretend respect for Kosygin while in fact ignoring his views more and more. Once Brezhnev took command of foreign affairs, he edged Kosygin aside altogether and moved Gromyko from the role of mentor and confidant to that of co-architect...
...regime's insistence on maintaining a facade of normality reveals the leadership's deep fear of political discontinuity. The same conservative instinct is an important reason why there is no codified process for changes in command and no real tradition of how such changes should be made. The Kremlin's obsession with continuity is confirmed by former Diplomat Arkady Shevchenko, the highest-ranking Soviet official to defect since World War II (see SPECIAL SECTION). Says he: "They have never decided on a new leader before the old one is dead"--or, in the case of Nikita Khrushchev, deposed by collective...
...turn came after the truncated rule of Andropov and the final, enfeebled years of Leonid Brezhnev. Other branches of the Soviet system have also benefited, especially Andrei Gromyko's Foreign Ministry. Gromyko's increased standing in the Politburo under Chernenko has been widely noted, as has his unquestioned command of Soviet foreign policy. For that reason, Gromyko is regarded by some foreign diplomats as a possible candidate for Chernenko's job. Another factor in Gromyko's favor, paradoxically enough, is his age. At 75, he might be chosen, like Chernenko, as a "transitional" leader, especially if the remaining old-guard...
...intelligence"), which is able to intercept electronic messages. The 6,000- lb. bird was to be spring-ejected from the shuttle, then rocket-propelled into a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. The satellite will allow the U.S. to eavesdrop on traffic between Moscow and Soviet missile command centers. Using radar and infrared, the SIGINT will also be able to "see" Soviet launches. Said a U.S. military official: "Our country needs to have a better assessment of our response capabilities where the Soviets are concerned, whether it is One-fifth of the next 70 shuttle flights are scheduled...
...major clashes between factions do erupt in Lebanon, the Israeli Cabinet, rather than local commanders, will decide what action, if any, Israeli forces should take in response. But Jerusalem would rather leave any such matter to the Lebanese. Said Major General Ori Orr, head of Israel's Northern Command: "I prefer to leave that problem to Amin Gemayel." The chances that the Lebanese Army could step in successfully under such chaotic circumstances are thought to be negligible. Partisan militiamen, for example, control the heights overlooking the road between Sidon and Beirut, and that link could be easily...