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Soviets to Trim Military Budget by 8% Next Year

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From Reuters

The Soviet Union said today it will slash military spending by more than 8% next year and gave the most detailed breakdown to date of its armed forces.

Col. Gen. Nikolai Chervov said at a news conference that the 8.2% cut, to $115 billion, is part of a program of shifting the Soviet armed forces from an offensive to a more defensive role.

The number of men in the armed force as of Jan. 1 will be 3,993,000, he said, without specifying what category of personnel the figure included.

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“The new political thinking in defense doctrines allowed the military to reduce the budget in practical terms,” said Chervov.

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