OverviewUnderstand the involvement and the political/military

impact of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979

Define how the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan influenced the development and employment of military aviation

Note: Additional Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/russia_invasion_afghanistan.htm

In 1979 Afghanistan was on the eve of a civil war.

The prime minister, Hazifullah Amin, wanted to “modernize” Afghanistan. This outraged the majority of those in Afghanistan as a strong traditional Muslim belief was common in the country.

Fearing Amin was growing too brutal, Afghan President Nur Mohammad Taraki flies to Moscow to convince them to pull support from Amin….however

Thousands of Muslim leaders were arrested while many fled the capital to the mountains to escape Amin's police.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Taraki Amin

Thousands of Afghanistan Muslims joined the Mujahdeen - a guerilla force on a holy mission for Allah.

The Mujahdeen declared a jihad - a holy war - on the supporters of Amin.

In December of 1979, the Soviet Union, claiming they had been invited by the Amin government to help stabilize the nation, invaded Afghanistan.

The Soviets claimed that their task was to support the legitimate Amin government and that the Mujahdeen were no more than terrorists.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

On December 27th, 1979, Amin was shot by the Russians and he was replaced by Babrak Kamal. His position as head of the Afghan government depended entirely on the fact that he needed Russian military support to keep him in power.

Many Afghan soldiers deserted to the Mujahdeen and the Kamal government needed 85,000 Russian soldiers to keep him in power.

The Mujahdeen shifted their jihad to both the Kamal government and their Soviet backers

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soon after their entry into Afghanistan, the Soviets imposed military and social reforms that fractured the indigenous population.

The Soviets implemented economic measures that worsened conditions for the poor, and tried to curb ethnic uprisings by mass arrests, torture, executions of dissidents and aerial bombardments.

According to Amnesty International, some 1 million Afghans died during this period, with more than 8,000 people were executed after being put on trial between 1980 and 1988

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Note: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/asia/afghanistan/soviet.html

Fearing the spread of Soviet Marxist ideology in Afghanistan and a southward Soviet movement toward the oil-rich Persian Gulf, the United States decided to aid the Mujahedeen.

US Congressman Charlie Wilson lead the push for US military aid. He used his position in Congress to bully a reluctant CIA to accept and spend hundreds of millions of dollars to fuel the anti-Soviet jihad. The Saudi government was matching what he raised from Congress almost dollar for dollar

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soviet’s now faced significant problems in Afghanistan: High-tech equipment covertly supplied

from the U.S. Difficult Terrain that favored the

Mujahadeen Mujahadeen leaders were former

Afghanistan Army officers trained by the Soviets

The result was that the Soviet’s could not mass their military power against the guerillas, hence they withdrew to garrison outposts, relying upon airpower to conduct operations in the field

114 aircraft and 338 helicopters are lost by the Soviets during their occupation

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Mikhail Gorbachev took Russia out of the Afghanistan fiasco when he realized what many Russian leaders had been too scared to admit in public - that Russia could not win the war and the cost of maintaining such a vast force in Afghanistan was crippling Russia's already weak economy.

In May 1988 the Soviets begin withdrawing from Afghanistan. By February 15, 1989, the last Soviet troops departed on schedule from Afghanistan

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soviet Lesson Learned Support of local population in any military

occupation is absolutely critical to success, even when it is in your backyard and a section of your population share a similar culture

Terrain, terrain, terrain Need to know your enemy and train

accordingly Impact to the development and

evolution of military aviation With the introduction of portable surface

to air missiles, in this case the Stinger Missile, any individual with very little training can shoot-down an aircraft

Another entry in the debate if aircraft can hold territory without the introduction of land forces

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

SoundFamiliar?