40 NATO Ships Keep an Eye on Soviet Exercises

NATO has assigned about 40 ships and submarines to monitor a major Soviet sea and air exercise taking place across a stretch of the North Atlantic, Norwegian and North seas, the Western military alliance said today.

As many as 80 ships and submarines from the Soviets’ Northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets were reported to be involved in the exercise. NATO said the Soviet ships were being observed by 17 British Royal Navy vessels, and ships and planes from all other NATO countries in the area.

The Soviets are believed to be practicing their response to what they expect would be a two-pronged assault by NATO in time of war. The Soviets anticipate NATO would try to cut off the Northern Fleet at the northern tip of Norway and pour reinforcements into Norway by sea, the reports said.

Carrier, Cruiser

NATO’s Eastern Atlantic surveillance center in northwest London said a powerful Soviet task force from the Northern Fleet joined the exercise on Thursday.

It said the group, led by the 43,000-ton aircraft carrier Kiev and the 22,000-ton nuclear-powered battle cruiser Kirov, started operations off northern Norway.

Four of the Soviet navy’s most modern vessels, two Sovremenny class destroyers and two Udaloy class destroyers were among the seven warships protecting the Kiev and the Kirov, it said.

More than 40 major Soviet surface ships and seven submarines have been counted, and NATO said “it is not unreasonable to assume . . . another 30 to 32 vessels, the majority of which are modern nuclear-powered attack submarines,” also are taking part in the exercise.