The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

and hydrogen bombs. He was the minister of armaments and the minister of defenseindustry, then the vice-chairman of the Soviet government and a secretary of the CentralCommittee of the CPSU. Three years ago, he became the minister of defense. Wherever heworked, he was always in charge of weapons, armaments, defense, and the security ofSoviet borders, as well as of the socialist bloc in general. Like Andropov, he was well awarethat a life lived peacefully is a fiction and an illusion. The reality was that war was constant,and would continue always, until one of the fighting sides annihilated the other. Ustinovlived his whole life with his finger on the trigger. Andropov had the First Directorate of theKGB, which worked around the clock to report to him about any suspect rumblings fromthe “main enemy.” Ustinov was also provided with first-hand information. He was in chargeof the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), with eyes and earspositioned around the world to watch the enemy day and night, and to immediately reportanything suspicious.It was possible that the next world war could be avoided, but Ustinov’s mentality,habits, and character conditioned him to be prepared not only to deter any attack from theenemy, but to deliver a strike preemptively if need be.The latest intelligence reports were alarming. American military vessels had enteredthe Persian Gulf. It appeared as though they were preparing to deploy their paratroopers inIran. If they followed through, the balance of power in the region would shift against Sovietinterests. It would be catastrophic to allow the Americans to gain a foothold in Afghanistan.A contiguous noose formed by Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and China would begin to tighten.The entire territory of the USSR would find itself in the crosshairs of American missiles.632