Notable Point · 1:51:41-1:57:00

Strike doctrine supported Kiev, Kirov, Slava, and Kuznetsov

The book's repeated emphasis on long-range strike made a doctrinal case for the Soviet capital-ship programs Gorshkov was steering into construction.

Admiral Kuznetsov Class Aircraft Carriers Kiev Class Aircraft Carriers Kirov Class Battlecruisers Missile Warfare Naval Procurement Sergey Gorshkov Slava Class Cruisers Soviet Navy

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Notes

The abstract language of strike maps closely onto the Soviet construction calendar of the 1970s and 1980s. When The Sea Power of the State appeared in 1976, Kiev was commissioned, Minsk had been launched, Novorossiysk was under construction, Kirov was building, and Slava was being laid down. The same argument prepared the ground for the later Admiral Kuznetsov, launched as Gorshkov left active command in 1985. The doctrine also worked as procurement advocacy by presenting carriers and missile cruisers as instruments of strategic strike and a balanced fleet, rather than prestige assets alone.