Soviet ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean or other distant theatres could draw NATO forces away from operations nearer Soviet territory. Hunting them would require enough ships and aircraft to ensure victory, exceeding the size of the Soviet deployment. Such a hunt would reduce the Western forces available for other offensive operations. NATO similarly sought to open additional fronts, divert Soviet troops, and split the logistics supporting the main land offensive. Both sides used the geographical spread of naval operations to complicate the other's concentration of force.
Notable Point · 1:12:03-1:13:35
Distant deployments as a force-diversion strategy
Small Soviet deployments in distant waters could force NATO to assign a much larger force to find and defeat them.