Kirov as the hub of a bastion-defense force

Soviet ballistic-missile submarines formed a central part of the nuclear deterrent, so their protected operating areas needed a powerful defensive force. Kirov could contribute command-and-control space, extensive air defenses, and twenty P-700 Granit missiles. Kiev- or Kuznetsov-class aviation ships, Oscar-class guided-missile submarines, and attack submarines would operate alongside the cruiser as a mixed force. The resulting surface action group translated the Soviet Army's combined-arms preference into a naval force designed to bring several forms of pressure to the same fight.