Setting the May 1980 limited-war scenario

The scenario sets clear constraints before assessing likely operations: May weather, weapons actually available in 1980, and a political effort to keep the war conventional. The Soviet leadership sees North Sea and North Atlantic resources as a route to greater leverage without deliberately crossing the nuclear threshold. Avoiding a dense land war farther south is part of the scenario's logic, even though the political gamble remains deliberately speculative. Political objectives and force availability shape what each side can plausibly attempt.