Military Developments Pt1 Army:
Military competitions for the next generation of main service rifles have come down to several requirements, the principal among which is the ability to maintain a sufficient ammunition provision under a set standard load. The AKMS and its variations have received mild weight reductions from the move towards lighter aluminum magazines but a far more comprehensive overhaul is still necessary. The current contest is still underway with rifles ranging from conventional layouts to more advanced recoil management systems to provide more effective fire in unstable positions. All of the designs are based on the 5.45x39 cartridge so that far more ammunition can be carried by the average soldier especially when combined with a steel-reinforced fiberglass magazine. Side rails have been mandated, deriving from the SVD system as a reliable platform for the mounting of complex optics. Expected combat-zeroing ranges of the new rifle system are over four hundred meters, providing extended capacity for engagement under frontline conditions.
Assessments for the provision of sufficient anti-tank firepower have had to be severely re-assessed with the conclusion of the Algerian war. Low-level firepower has always been in demand in high armor environments and there is little expectation that any movements into France would have a lower density of armor than what should have been a tertiary theater. Modernizations to the RPG-18 complex have involved the replacement of the sighting system for improved ranging and increasing the reliability of engagements outside one hundred meters. In a high armor environment, it is expected that all riflemen will carry the newly modernized RPG-18M. For grenadiers, several new rounds for the RPG-7 system have been developed. An expanded high explosive-fragmentation round has been issued to replace the more limited OG-7V. Conversely, the effectiveness of slat armor has necessitated the issuance of a new 80mm cumulative munition, offering the same range at moderate increases in mass.
The largest lessons learned from the Second Algerian War have involved the use of anti-tank missiles and the effect of their presence on the battlefield. Infantry has received a weapon that can threaten armor at long range that is both portable and capable of accurately engaging with few options available to armored forces to fight against it. The 9M111 system has proven to be adequate as a light ATGM but limited in that a three-man team is still required for the transport of the full system. To address several issues in the design and enhance close-in fire capability an in-container booster has been added to the system bringing it in line with the 9M113. This has extended the range of the missile to almost two and a half kilometers while avoiding changing the necessary layout of anti-tank teams despite a weight addition. On the heavy end, a kinetic improvement to the 9M113 has yielded a range extension to almost four kilometers along with a greater resistance to slat armor schemes. With the booster incorporated, both systems can confidently engage targets at ranges beyond one hundred meters, minimizing the threat from close in armor.
Company-level commands have consistently been found to be overwhelmed by the density of armored threats and effectively only provided lower-level tools to deal with them. To that end, a lighter ATGM system that can directly replace the 9M111 in non-mechanized roles by providing lower-level firepower has entered development. The primary goal for the system itself is that it needs to be carried by two men with three rounds of ammunition. Design specifications for the new system call for a maximum engagement range of one and a half kilometers and a minimum range of fifty meters. Improvements in guidance and propulsion are expected to produce much of the mass decrease, with the system prioritized for lighter units over conventional armored and mechanized ones. Further, similar general performance is expected as the requirement of penetrating two hundred mm of steel at sixty degrees has been carried over from the 9M111.
To provide mobile tank-killing firepower to helicopters along with newly developed heavy systems a supersonic counterpart to the 9M113 has been pushed towards development. The primary aim of the program is the creation of a new system capable of engaging six kilometers from a helicopter platform and traveling at a supersonic pace. Weight limitations have been comparatively loosened relative to any other missile with the new system expected to come in just under forty kilograms. One further requirement of the program is a four-kilometer intercept time of ten seconds, allowing for the rapid transition to new targets and shortening helicopter engagement profiles. Actual development and fielding of the missile is only expected to come later in the decade, but once accepted into service it is expected to replace all other guided anti-tank ordinance in helicopter attack roles.
The Pt-76 has been considered domestically inadequate as a vehicle since the early sixties but little impetus has gone towards replacing it. Several prototypes have been made with an 85mm gun and improved mobility but that in itself is inadequate for the changing nature of the battlefield. The need to contend with Western light armor in large numbers along with the problems of providing long-range field support from a mobile platform necessitate a heavier gun than previously considered. To that end, the 788 prototype has been advanced in development and accepted for evaluation. The large promise of a 100mm gun on an amphibious platform with better protection is expected to be revolutionary for airborne, marine, and recon units. The largest gains of the new vehicle involve improved protection, offering defense against armor-piercing 20mm across the frontal arc and defense against 12.7mm American armor piercing from the sides and rear at ranges above three hundred meters.
From its performance in the Algerian war, several negative qualities have been noticed about the current BMP-1. Theoretically, adequate protection has not proven to be sufficient for several engagement profiles and side vulnerability has been exploited several times. Further, the fuel packing along with the density of munitions leaves the vehicle vulnerable to any significant penetrating hit, destabilizing the ammunition and leading to a conflagration. The commander's position itself has also proven problematic as the lower position and lack of situational awareness have posed a significant limitation in combat. Current models are to receive thickened frontal armor to protect better against improved 20mm rounds along with new night sights but far more needs to be done to modernize the armored force. A new version of the BMP has effectively been called for, requiring a two-man turret and the total separation of the fighting and crew compartment with provisions to improve the safety of internally carried missiles.
Vatutin's ideas for a universal tracked vehicle set to replace all other infantry transportation in all positions were conceptually if not economically sound. Limitations in providing BMPs for Algeria alone were significant and a cheaper and lighter vehicle was required for several logistical roles along with the transportation of infantry to frontline positions. The new vehicle is effectively a steel box weighing just under twelve tons with a simple commander-driver layout in the front section. The frontal crew is protected against 12.7mm fire from the front while the sides are armored against armor-piercing rifle fire. To offer the vehicle some self protection the newly developed NSV machine gun has been placed in an open armored mount with a forward gun shield and provisions for internal operation by the commander. The gun itself is mounted onto a new improved cupola, improving commander visibility compared to the BMP.
The T52 has performed acceptably in Algeria but it has failed to measure up to lighter and more mobile vehicles. For all of the improvements provided to the T52M1, the tank itself has likely reached the end of its reasonable modernization potential in Soviet service. Armor additions have been considered to keep pace with American progress in kinetic projectiles but as the tank already has protection issues further modernizations have been placed on hold. Improved warheads on the American tow system are expected to be issued in the next few years, rendering the additional armor packages of both the M1 and U models obsolete in short order. Anti-cumulative packages are planned to be further extended with the mounting of slat armor across the sides, providing some protection against imperfect impacts. To improve the design's anti-tank potential a further modernization of its standard round has been started with an expanded armor-piercing cap to increase vulnerability areas of American armor and to threaten new variations of the Chieftain in defensive positions.
To bring the T64 to a reliable and economical state a new series of modifications to the chassis has been pioneered by an LKZ team to both improve protection and reduce costs of production. KhPZ has advocated for the further modernization of the compact engine system and the maintenance of the same transmission but several simplification measures are still necessary to convert plants previously producing the T52U, the largest change to the design is a move to a more reliable 900 horsepower V12 engine. To keep engine space down the transmission has been integrated into a unified power pack, linking to tank controls and allowing the rapid replacement of the entire propulsion section. To modernize the armor, a new composition of sintered quartz has been developed for the turret, enhancing protection on the front aspect while reducing costs. To keep pace with the development of Western cumulative munitions, an alternative layering of the front armor has been implemented along with more resilient improved hardness steel. Only a prototype has so far been made but mass production is expected to start by 1974.
The T-64 is expected to further receive a new enlarged capped kinetic round, providing an improvement to penetration and ensuring that the newest enemy armored threats can be fought. The older variants with the 130mm gun have also received new ammunition along with the remainder of T3 tanks in service, providing them adequate penetration capability against more modern armor. Work on more advanced image amplification complexes is not yet complete and ready to be fielded on the current generation of armor, but it is fully expected that combat-effective passive night sights will be available before the end of the decade. Taking lessons from the Algerian conflict improvements have been made in the commander's position, incorporating a full visibility cupola and a more flexible seat allowing for a low-turnout position and low-activity areas of a front. The new NSV machine gun has also been prioritized for mounting, further reducing costs and improving the reliability of a vehicle.
With the rising Western combat potential and likely adoption of the 120mm British gun across all chassis with updated munitions a new generation of armor is necessary. As Germany has already re-developed a competent armor industry in the aftermath of the war, the project itself has been pushed ahead as a cooperative measure with several guidelines. First, the new vehicle must have the power to weigh to match the new American Tank-1970 system. Second, the vehicle must allow for the storage of forty rounds of ammunition in a minimal frontal area configuration to minimize conflagration threats. Frontal protection of the new vehicle needs to be sufficient to deter theoretical tungsten core and enlarged tip rounds on the estimated upper energy envelope from the L11 gun. The percentage of lightly armored surfaces in the design must be minimized with thought placed into suboptimal engagement angles to maintain frontal arc protection even in a suboptimal placement of armor. Evolutionary improvements for the T64B are expected to be transferred over along with a new gunner sighting complex to reduce engagement times and enhance accuracy against high traversal targets.
As the Algerian war demonstrated, mobility of artillery has posed a critical problem in offensive and defensive action with the bombardments of the initial days critical for the performance of ground units. The new MTLB chassis has been now paired with the improved D30 gun, forming a combined 2S1M enhancing capability and bringing in amphibious capacity to mechanized medium-weight artillery. The new design has lowered the weight of the vehicle to such a point that the 2S2 has been rendered redundant as an air-mobile amphibious medium support asset. Further, both the mechanized and towed versions of the D30 gun are expected to receive a new carrier round for the use of sub-munition projectiles. To accompany the lighter systems in inventory a new 40mm dual-purpose projectile has been designed, loosely based on a lighter PTAB with fragmentation rings; the 300g hollow core projectile is expected to be fielded on all light and heavy artillery systems. Each next-generation 122mm round is expected to carry just twenty-four of these 3B30 sub-munitions, but that alone is expected to improve the anti-infantry effect fivefold and anti-armor effect area by an order of magnitude.
In the sense of 152mm howitzer ammunition further modernization has proceeded to enhance their anti-infantry and anti-tank firepower while a limited stock of advanced shells exists in the early phase of any conflict.. The previously designed 3B30 sub-munitions borrowed from the 122mm capability enhancement project can be packed in seven strong layers, doubling effective area saturation and projectile density. As area effect rounds are being issued, the most notable use cases for the 240mm gun mortar have been eliminated, leading to the retirement of the 2S5 system and the diversion of its role as an anti-fortification system to the BM-27, 2S3, and 2S7 systems. These consolidations are expected to build on previous capability while ensuring that even in a situation where direct logistical transportation of conventional shells is limited adequate combat effect can be provided.
Continued modernization of the artillery arm has been furthered with a new generation of heavy rocket systems being deployed for frontline work. A truck-based 220mm rocket system without intrinsic reload capacity has been developed with several rounds pushed into service to further expand its capacity. The primary munition is expected to be a monolithic explosive head but cassettes of over two hundred 3B30 sub-munitions or thirty modified PTAB-2.5 anti-material munitions are expected to augment capacity against area targets. Further work on improvements to the 122mm rocket system has resulted in improved range to bring it in line with more modern systems along with a series of light container rounds to provide adequate suppression of infantry formations. To compliment both lighter systems and provide options for rear echelon targeting, the TR-1 has been adapted in a modernized variation, allowing the nuclear warhead to be exchanged for conventional, chemical, and cluster configurations depending on the needs of the front line.
Continuous modernization has further not spared the limited number of 130mm guns in service as their exceptionally long range has not justified the use of a unique caliber. To address the issue a long barrel 152mm gun has been developed to share some shell commonality with the D20 gun. The new 2S7 system is effectively the 2A36 gun mounted to an enclosed mechanized platform based on an effectively unarmored T52 suspension with an enlarged engine. Enlarged charges enable the new system to engage at ranges never before used with conventional gun artillery, allowing several conventionally resistant positions in the second echelon to be brought under fire. The assisted turret loader has allowed for the reduction of crew to a five-man setup, allowing a continuity of fire until stores are depleted or a relocation is ordered to move to a new fire position. Nuclear munitions have also started development to provide additional fire capability though they are not expected to be technically mature for at least a few more years.
To accompany the 9M114 missile system a new generation of helicopter has entered development with several revisions. The necessity of both troop transportation capacity self defense along with the multitude of front-line roles a helicopter can be forced into has led to something of a unified design. An enlarged carrying capacity can benefit the mounting of a series of heavy underslung ATGM in a gunship role while allowing lighter mountings to be used for the transportation of soldiers and wounded. This has led to some compromises with a large fuselage acting as a partial lifting body and prioritizing protection for the turbine, rotor, and flight controls over the cargo section. Further, the two-man arrangement of the crew has been adapted with the gunner receiving control over the missile system through an electro-optical system directly derived from the Mig-23B prototype. As the 9M114 system is immature, current plans call for a mixed armament across six pylons with an interchangeable series of rockets, bombs, Kh-23Ms, Kh-25s, or quad mountings of the simpler 9M113.
Coming from a perspective of the current system of oil production Balakirev has made a comprehensive report on the current sources of oil in the Union and the current tendency towards price increases. The report itself would be plain if not for the obvious implication and statements on the petrochemical economy in that easily accessible low-cost oil resources are unlikely to be permanently available. Current oil discovery rates have only accelerated in rapid measure but the expansion of domestic production has increased in scale far faster. Lower yield and more technical deposits have been found but their exploitation is only expected to increase in costs especially as easier reserves are tapped out.
The report itself is too technical for the majority of the Supreme Soviet much less the general population but the understanding that an energy crisis is oncoming can even produce its energy crisis due to shocks in the market system. Further, similar implications are rife in the conventional coal industry as the Western deposits of higher grade coals are going deeper with seams narrower than comparative American systems. Yield degradation has so far been slow as technology has accelerated the development of new coals along with water transportation routes for the massive transportation of coals from virgin deposits in the East, but even that cannot last. No system of Eastern deposits can make up for the collapse of the Western ones to any significant scale, further energy limitations in extraction and refinement are already causing issues.
Politically the reaction to a limit on growth being declared midway through a plan is unlikely to go well for the ministry and being tarred for economic defeatism would damage any form of political career. Balakirev has several proposed solutions that can be pursued to delay the problem and solve it, but none are practical and the Supreme Soviet may not be sold on some form of technical wonder-solution. Limitations in coal production are already biting through the course of the current plan with the ambitious and propagandized target of one billion tons deeply unlikely to be hit in any reasonable time without the uneconomic exploitation of all deposits and an even more rapidly growing demand before the end of the decade. Theoretical reserves are of course sufficient to meet the demand but are unlikely to be utilized in the current state of the coal industry.
Balakirev to an extent reports that the improved portability of gas and liquid petroleum products can compensate for the remoteness of deposits and that there is some hope on the horizon in the form of improved efficiency but even that cannot sweeten the report. The facts as they stand indicate that the Union itself is likely to steadily shift to a mixed petrochemical profile as domestic use increases, possibly by 1975 and certainly by 1980 at the current rate of growth. Further, changes in the international situation and the increase in low-cost production by OPEC along with the political clout brought on through oil production are liable to offset any profitability drive for the utilization of more technical domestic deposits. Shortages in CMEA in the strictest sense are unlikely but the low and subsidized fuel price cannot hold on either the basis of domestic deposits nor on continued cheap imports.
Even outside the obvious economic implications, the defense implications are more extreme as significant portions of the power grid preferentially operate off heavy fuel oils, with continuous demand for fuel prevalent in every sector. The army will of course have enough fuel to fight on in any circumstance but the pressure on the civilian economy will be immense in anything approaching a maximum economic growth scenario. Balakirev's solution so far has been a refocusing on increasing domestic gas drilling along with the rapid improvement of wellheads to reduce domestic prices. To reduce the dependence of power production on cheap oil some measures will have to be taken as oil demand is translated into coal demand, but that too can be done at minimum cost. Most ambitiously, Balakirev in his report argues for the offsetting of conventional energy resources through new technologies, with nuclear energy advanced in tandem with modern gas plants.
[]Discipline Balakirev: Protecting the soon-to-be second-most powerful man in the Soviet Union from a flight of youthful idiocy is the least that can be done. The report itself can be burned along with an excuse being made for the otherwise gathered information. To ensure that Balakirev doesn't do anything excessively stupid again he can be given a few months of intensive work becoming aware of the plants of the chemical industry and creating a new report on the production of plastics. A few months of hard labor should serve well to get any strange idiocies out of him and prevent a single mistake from ending an otherwise promising career.
[]Supress the Report: Speaking of utter economic defeatism that is tantamount to surrendering the advantages of the Soviet system in the midst of a plan is both stupid and counterproductive. The Supreme Soviet will find someone more willing to make reports that indicate that everything is going well and very little will be accomplished either way. Balakirev is a political newcomer and frankly does not know any better than to try and push his vision on a group of idiots too drunk on the promise of socialism to build it. When he has a better support base he can start implementing a number of the recommendations of his report, but the document as it is is more a political noose than anything productive.
[]Reword the Report: The Supreme Soviet is not ready to accept a report that indicates that things will get worse and that growth can be restrained by something as simple as not enough oil getting drilled. The Supreme Soviet can accept that growth will have to center on alternative systems and a pre-prepared solution to limitations in energy production that can be decisively and rapidly implemented. The program would in effect be the same, but a case of solving the problem and ensuring that it stays solved without getting anyone accused of defeatism will be far more productive.
[]Let Balakirev Act: Balakirev has so far proven to have a knack for politics and a bit of intelligence around navigating the Supreme Soviet. Instead of dictating what he is to do, recommendations can be made that he is to bury the report and never look back on it alongside the revisions that are likely necessary to present it to the Supreme Soviet. If the man is willing to stand for the report he can do it on his own, if he is willing to listen then at least some of the many lessons taught to him won't be in vain. Keeping his political line different from the old and soon-to-be-retired and giving him latitude to maneuver can solidify his influence.
[]Encourage Publication: Giving verbal and critically not support in writing would ensure that Balakirev may in a show of trust publish the damn report. The backlash would be immense and cost him his post, but it would ensure that the report is out there and some acceptable references can still be made to it. At least one of the factions is sure to pick it up for their political campaigning and while it will ensure that Balakirev is discredited in any political sense it can allow a more capable and ambitious deputy to move into the post.
Central Asian High Capacity Roads: Outside of the Western republics and inhabited belt, roads have historically been entirely ignored by every administration. Instead of the expected lack of economic activity and lack of development though, through socialist ingenuity, the Central Asian workers have achieved significant economic gains. Building up a long-distance transportation network from effectively nothing will take a massive investment in funds and personnel, but few things can generate a greater return either politically or economically than moving people used to dirt roads to large paved ones. Continued development funding will still be necessary, but even finalizing arterial routes will significantly improve standards and low-level commerce. (499/450) (Completed)
The effective completion of the domestic road system has been hailed as one of the largest infrastructure projects the Union has ever constructed or attempted. The work on developing the road system has been monumental and pioneered several technologies for the expansion of transportation along with the unification of the Union's republics. The final stages of the roads have involved the completion of the Western, Central, and Eastern corridors through Kazakhstan, terminating in Ashgabat, Dushanbe, and Frunze respectively. With linkages provided to every major city in the Union outside of Vladivostok and work continuing on that narrow band of connections the overall project has been finalized. Future programs have already called for the development of local road systems to pave the streets in smaller cities, ensuring that the era of dirt and gravel can be left to historical narratives and small villages.
Water Distribution Systems(Stage 7/10): Calls for bringing universal pressurized water to every significant concentration of the population have been delayed for much of a decade but they can finally be entirely developed. Work on the construction of enlarged distribution infrastructure along with small integrated water towers will form much of the supply system, with much of the funding going towards the laying of new pipes before significant road renovations. New materials are available for modern plumbing, bringing the areas into the 20th century and ensuring that backwardness can be stamped out on the infrastructural end. (316/300 Stage 7 Complete) (16/400 Stage 8) (-21 CI1 Electricity)
The rapid development of water infrastructure has come ahead of schedule with the transfer of funding towards a broader scale modernization of provisional infrastructure. The primary focus of the effort has been in the rural villages where provisioning of water from wellheads has been done manually and to a generally insufficient supply for either modern agriculture or even personal use. Pressurized systems by necessity have been built on a simple tower system to supply homes with cold water, allowing local heating to be used for hot water supplies. The cold water lines themselves have also further developed compared to previous initiatives with the use of plastic segments universalized to minimize leakage and improve water quality. The load on road-sewage services has comprehensively increased but at this rate all but the smallest and most remote villages will be provided with running water by the end of the decade.
Development of the Volga: As a first stage of improving the water levels of the Volga and stabilizing the depletion of the Caspian a new canal system linking the basin of the Kama to the Perchora can be undertaken. Pioneering work on nuclear charges is expected to be utilized for the clearing of select hardpoints of terrain but much of the work is going to be conventional despite the climate. Improving water transfer will allow for the direct control of the water level of the Volga, helping to eliminate a significant scope of seasonal variation in the levels of the Volga. The canal may also help the development of the north, as a further accessible route towards the Arctic will be available for navigation. (84/75) (Completed)
Following the relocation of citizens from northern villages on the river and the partial evacuation of the cities changed by the route of relocation, the upper Pechora has been turned south. Dam infrastructure has built a considerable reservoir for water that is planned to be released in cooperation with the intensive monitoring of the water levels of the Volga. The channel itself has been built along a non-inhabited corridor limiting the necessary relocations and demonstrating that nature can be made to bend to the realities of the economy. Waterflow to the Volga is expected to recharge the Caspian with fresh water and provide a massive basin of cross-seasonal stability to the Volga itself, ensuring that previous Southern droughts can definitively be conquered. Plans have already started development on larger and more comprehensive river reversals, ensuring a steady flow of water to the quenched steppe and regenerating water necessary for intensive economic activity.
ESA: Improving ministry capacity has always been politically challenging, but with the incorporation of several of the latest machines a narrowing of personnel is possible. The full digitization of records remains impossible but several aspects can be improved. Calculating power will be made universally available through the procurement of a massive number of desktop units, automating significant amounts of labor. Further work towards improving the ministry will involve the purchase of almost ten thousand facsimile machines. These will primarily take over from the old system of sending letters, enabling every branch of the ministry to work more efficiently. (200 Resources per Dice 78/250)
The ministry itself has been partially left behind as new machinery has become available to slim departments and improve planning. Even if the first series of calculators are bulky, expensive, and impractical their sheer potential for tabulation is beyond the work of any single department. Manual calculators have generally been replaced by their electronic workers, eliminating personnel from the ministry and improving the smoothness of calculators. As these new calculators further do not make mistakes in any reasonable setting and offer consistency several otherwise excessive departments have been slimmed to improve functionality. Newer machines based on the modernized Elbrus line are not yet available to the ministry in anything but demonstration examples, but office computers capable of holding entire registers in modifiable memory are expected to radically change planning across the next decade. Even something as basic as monetary tabulation may eventually be modernized away to an activity entirely calculated in a mainframe rather than work for teams of secretaries.
Kursk Steel Mills(Stage 1/2): The massive magnetic anomaly under Kursk represents the prime center of Soviet steel production with massive reserves of ore and a location favorable to development both due to educated labor and due to a proximal source of high-quality coals. Work on the development of an even larger steel complex around the KMA will take funding and time, but it can be done. Several massive steel mills can be built in the area to start the decisive move towards increasing production and continuing the drive to triple-lap American steel production. The construction industry is not slowing nor are export industries and every ton of steel made is a ton that can contribute to Soviet infrastructure. (261/175 Stage 1 Completed) (86/200 Stage 2) (-36 CI6 Electricity -10 Steel +3 Coal +2 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (+60 RpY)
The Kursk Magnetic Anomaly has been previously spared large-scale exploitation through the presence of more viable alternative deposits and a lack of technology to improve the economics. With current plans, four large complexes for steel production have been planned out and funded to provide the capacity for the production of enough steel to supply industries across the Southern Union. The techniques used at this point are conventional with a standard reduction process followed by the utilization of an oxygen converter, innovating moderately with several new techniques for thermal recovery from the ore. More experimental reduction processes have been proposed for the mills of the future but the distance from gas wells and ease of access to anthracitic coals has limited experimental implementation to facilities in less optimal locations.
Donets Coal Basin Mechanization: Planned developments of the Donets basin have been modernized and rationalized to enable a massive increase in coal yields through the incorporation of specialized machinery. More trained personnel can be moved into the industry allowing for a general increase in development and allowing for the far more optimal exploitation of narrow deep seams. There isn't much more potential the basin itself can yield, but it can be made to serve to at least carry the Union over for a few years until cheaper coal is available. (175 Resources per Dice 61/125)
The universal issue across much of the Western coal basin has been the necessity of increasing the depth of exploitation and the narrowing of seams. The coal in the area is still present but shafts must go deeper and access seams that would otherwise be ignored just two decades ago. The Donets deposit is both massive and well endowed with metallurgical coals but if the pattern holds production at the site will rapidly not be viable by the end of the century much less further in the future. Increased labor commitment from underground mining further limits what can be done with the site as massive quantities of labor will have to be brought in to maintain output once easy modernization potential is depleted. Current funding will bring the latest equipment underground but the mining complex itself is unlikely to maintain profitability in the next two decades.
Kansk-Achinsk Basin Exploitation(Stage 2/5): Initial experiments of a microwave-driven coal dehydration process have more than confirmed themselves in testing. The enhanced use of the river routes along with the transportation of effective semi-coke has allowed for significant efficiency improvements. As there are almost seventy million tons of sub-bituminous and lignites in the deposit, extraction is expected to make up the majority of coal produced in the Union. To compensate for the depletion of Western deposits extraction will have to be further increased with a mass transfer of personnel to mining. The surface-level coals here do allow for far more efficient extraction per worker, producing coal almost ten times more efficiently than underground deposits. (169/150 Stage 2 Complete) (19/150 Stage 3) (-60 CI3 Electricity -12 Coal +1 General Labor)
The development of above-ground mining methods has gone ahead faster and more comprehensively than ever previously imagined. The local coals are mostly surface-level brown coals, limiting both caloric potential and metallurgical potential but the high presence of water allows for the production of near-bituminous grade semicoke. Volatile fractions are generally transferred to local chemical industries, with some of the gas-off products used for onsite heating. Advanced microwave methods of compacting have enabled transportation costs to be lowered to only thirty percent value-added along with the localization of the manufacture of composite briquettes, optimized for use in several thermal applications. The deposit itself offers the largest potential for exploitation as the local reserves are larger than any other single field while offering an almost order of magnitude improvement in extraction labor efficiency.
Atomash(Stage 1/3): The development of a dedicated center of reactor manufacturing has been theorized through much of the past plan with little concrete work done on development. Now that the nation has mobilized massive industrial and technical resources the project itself can be made into a reality. The plant itself is meant for the series assembly line production of VVER-1000 cores along with several facilities for the production of associated turbines and machinery. The project represents one of the largest economic investments and is going to be definitive for the economy of Rostov. Initial production lots will take at least two years to improve production to scale from completion with current plans calling for the capacity to produce four nuclear cores per year. (300 Resources per Dice 82/300)
The initial development of one of the most involved technical and scientific industries in the Union has not started well. Initial debates on the scale of the production line along with a division in plans have led to the complex forming a series of controversial decisions with a unified plan of construction only drafted by the end of the year. Current plans call for the assembly of a single unified line for the production of large-scale cores along with a series of 250 MWe turbines and their required heat exchanges for the mounting to large facilities. As the turbines are already produced for the VVER-500 series, little modernization was required for them outside of the expected scale of production but the reactor cores themselves still represent major technical challenges. Each core is expected to endure more than three decades of immense radiative flux at high pressure, necessitating high-precision engineering and machining on objects larger than any before them.
Saratov Machine Building Plant: Petrochemical extraction has only gotten more complex in the last decade with simpler drilling rigs becoming both outdated and inefficient. Rather than resorting to an increase in secondary recovery techniques, deals can be made with the Americans to import both expertise and technologies for increasing oil extraction. The industry itself is considered to be secondary to direct defense applications and the current relations offer a window where some technical exchanges can be conducted. The item most of interest is the production of new generation slant drilling equipment along with expertise in its operation, as domestic production will be able to learn important lessons and develop its innovative industry in the field. (300 Resources per Dice 99/150)
With the tentatively friendly US administration and a comparatively friendly series of American corporations, a significant transfer of expertise has begun. The improvements made on the US fields and the extraction operations by American corporations abroad are novel and comprehensive, improving per-well yields and bringing several previously unextractable oils into circulation. From what is willing to be sold along with several conversations with high-level executives it can be estimated that the Union is approximately half a decade behind in onshore drilling technologies and a decade behind in unconventional extraction techniques. Limitations in the use of crude domestic hydrofracking efforts will take time to address and the industry itself will have to be modernized but the expertise, experts, and knowledge can be easily brought over as long as funding allows.
Gorky Automotive Plant Modernization: With a specialization in the production of different models of cars and providing direct competition to VAZ, the modernization of the Gorky plant is also essential. Industrial automation is expected to significantly improve production with a new generation of cars already developed incorporating several major improvements. A strong increase in automotive manufacturing in Gorky is expected to help local employment, providing tens of thousands of high-paying jobs with new automated lines. (250 Resources per Dice 145/175)
Bringing in automatic machinery and an accompanying team of programmers has posed a major issue for plant management with several workers noting concerns of being made redundant. As retraining pathways have been offered there is little actual cause for the complaints outside a general malaise as line positions have been modernized to improve precision and throughput. Further improvements have involved several aspects of frame production being modernized, adopting a frame floor model to improve safety and reduce production costs further. Once the program itself is completed the GAZ plant is expected to introduce a new series of conventional cars and light trucks along with a new generation of medium conventional trucks.
Mars Sample Return: The Mars program has demonstrated that a lander can be launched and landed on the surface but further steps are needed to develop the techniques necessary for landing a larger craft. The RLA-3 has the throw weight necessary for providing a heavy enough lander and the capacity for a sample return but the technologies involved are still purely theoretical. A series of heavier landers with accompanying rovers can be developed to test landing systems. Assuming an ideal timeframe would allow a sample return before the end of the decade along with the development of hardware capable of a partially propulsive landing. (-10 RpY Expected) (3)
To conduct a viable Mars landing and return a sufficient number of samples to Earth a launch system larger than previously conceived of will have to be used. The mission itself has been planned with an orbital rendezvous of a boosting section that will propel a heavy lander into an intercept trajectory with a pre-prepared return vehicle. After landing the mission plan calls for the drilling of two separate samples across parallel drills to a few meters in depth, providing material for analysis through the entire crust and bringing back several kilograms of samples for earth-based analysis. Flying the mission itself will inherently be technically ambitious but without either a nuclear engine or heavier rocket a single launch sample return of sufficient volume is unlikely to be possible.
[]Cancel It: Orbital rendezvous remains a technical challenge and was the primary cause for the cancellation of the manned moon program. Despite improving technology the approach just is not viable for further exploration, limiting what can be done. Canceling the project in its entirety will not be popular but better to cancel it before any money is spent on it.
[]Incorporate Nuclear Propulsion: Advanced technical work on a high-temperature high-temperature ribbon core can revolutionize orbital maneuvers. By using a small hydrogen-nuclear stage to perform the transfer burn, only a single RLA-3 will be needed. Testing of the nuclear engine will take some time to complete but the launch of a superheavy probe is likely the most viable and easy to adapt application.
[]Send it to a Committee: The current mission design is risky and only has the agreement of a few of the engineers. Gathering the various designers together to create a viable compromise design can be done without too many problems, allowing a more effective design to be collectively made. A committee may also take several years and if nothing else it will provide a series of good arguments on why to cancel the project.
[]Back the Mission: The plan is ambitious and technically involved but none of the technology expected to be used is novel or newly designed. On a smaller scale, every act involved in the mission has already been performed with a decent scientific and technical basis. Any mission will take several years of testing and several more of travel but returning Martian soil to Earth will be a definite victory for the Union.
Mercury Exploration Program: Current techniques and probes are sufficient for the flyby of mercury, with the main limitation falling towards the boost stage. Due to the problematic orbit of mercury, an intercept requires a massive degree of velocity to even attempt. Combining an RLA-3 along with a newly developed enlarged interplanetary stage is one proposal for such a mission allowing for an easy capability expansion without new technical developments. The stage will use the same engines and same tankage techniques if significantly scaled up for increased capability. Orbiting mercury is beyond any developed rocket, but a theoretical nuclear engine may be able to fix that. (-5 RpY Expected) (42)
The design of a flyby system is partially the design of an enlarged long-burning cryogenic third stage for the transfer of a heavy probe. Current plans call for the effective stretching of the old RLA transfer stage to accommodate the conditions of the RLA-3 and provide the capacity to do a long single transfer burn to mercury. To avoid any unreliability and minimize the influence of solar radiation the mission itself is planned to be flown in a direct manner, avoiding a Venusian gravity assist. As there is more confidence in a direct burn approach it is favored for the mission and it further works well with the development of heavy transfer stages from the outer planets program.
CMEA Payloads: Comecon has always wanted to launch more tonnage but at the current rates that has been questionable. Fully bringing the space program into international prominence can help any member nation deliver non-military payloads to space for a nominal cost, further improving scientific return and justifying the massive investments made to the RLA. Most of the payloads have come as a part of the German and Indian programs but those alone are expected to be sufficient to keep the production capacity of RLA's saturated for the near future and ensure a steady increase in orbital development. The capitalist world is currently behind in space program integration and ensuring that CMEA fills the lists of below the US and Union is a practical diplomatic coup. (+10 RpY Spending Maximum) (37)
Expansion of the block program of launch has gone ahead with few issues, opening payload slots on additional RLA rockets and effectively allowing the free bidding for launch capacity from any CMEA nations. The Germans have so far led the effort with several scientific payloads booked out on launches through 1973 and 1974 through a Czechoslovak and Polish payload that is expected to be launched fairly shortly after, bringing the nations in the block space access. Military payloads are still expected to be done under a combined test scheme with a degree of centralized control but any ostensibly civilian payload has been opened for flight. The current rate of RLA production is expected to level off with further gains in booster use reduced by the conversion of R16s to lightweight launches for military satellites.
Second Generation Furnishings: Standardized and mass-produced furniture is well and good, but people have consistently pushed for more variety. By bringing in a few hundred designers and creating standard catalogs and styles with some collaboration of the private sector the general furniture production system can be modernized. Standardized styles can be consolidated and brought in from the private sector, taking reliable products and bringing them into primary circulation. Production and demand increases are sure to follow as a broader subset of industries are brought into the market and properly utilized. (145/125) (Complete) (-16 CI4 Electricity +3 General Labor) (+50 RpY)
The development of both cooperatives and a series of larger state enterprises specialized in making low-volume packing furniture has accelerated with the demands for new styles and increasing housing construction. With the Union rapidly developing additional capabilities in the building of new housing along with the general modernization of production, cheaper furniture of the same approximate quality has been increasing in demand. Specialty carved items to high standards are expected to be handled by private concerns but standardized catalogs in several styles and made from homogenized wood products are set to become universally available. Several new styles have already been developed and overall production across the state sector is expected to increase in preparation for a further enlargement of the housing program in the next plan.
Home Supplies Production: The development of supplies for private home renovation and general modernization has become a significant sector of private production. Introducing the state into the market and significantly increasing the supply of basic tools, materials, and parts can serve to increase private sector specialization. This will take some funding to break new enterprises into the sector and provide a more competitive landscape, but that can be done without too many issues. (90/75) (Complete) (-20 CI4 Electricity +2 General Labor) (+40 RpY)
The first stage of developing further productive capacity for renovation supplies has been an analysis of the market segment along with the investment of funds in the enterprises already dominating large sectors. Professional grade tool enterprises all have diversified into lower-end general use ranges and through providing them grant funding for expansion a significant increase in production capacity has been achieved. On the private end, a series of investments have been made into cooperatives and businesses that are expected to enter the sector with partial buyouts the norm to raise further capital for starting production. More general-purpose supplies have come with increasing standards for wallpaper, paint, and several general-purpose renovation goods, opening the way for the average worker to renovate their apartments.
Timan-Pechora Fields: Exploitation of the deposits across the north has been typical but now that petrochemical demand is rapidly rising both domestically and across CMEA radical measures must be taken. Taking advantage of the already settled nature of the region, intensive exploratory drilling can start to recover the remaining local oil reserves. Local fields have already been partially tapped but less optimal deposits can start extraction with follow-on technical work done to ensure a steady increase in the production of oil and condensates. (188/125) (Completed) (-23 CI7 Electricity -5 Petroleum Fuels +2 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (+60 RpY)
Expanding the drilling in the Northernmost fields has come with several technical challenges as the climate is unforgiving and the deposits remaining are technically challenging. Work has continued with the expansion of local refining infrastructure along with the strengthening of drilling work, tapping into deposits more biased towards gas production rather than conventional petroleum products. Limitations in the extraction of NGL along with significant challenges caused by local conditions have limited production but with time and improved equipment, the field is expected to be usable for decades even without significant new finds. The extension of the field into the ocean has been tracked, but the deployment of oil rigs onto the even more Northern extent of the deposit isn't expected to be economical soon.
Plastic Industries(Stage 2/5): With previously under-utilized heavy fractions of petroleum along with the limited utilization of local gas reserves a massive expansion of the plastics industry is still necessary. Even for Americans primary fiber production has shifted towards petrochemical sources. The Union with less of a chance to import conventional fibers should not be behind the states in adapting the newest methods of production. Continued investment will focus on significantly expanding the production of plastics in preparation for the production of synthetic fibers, starting the long process of catching up to and overtaking the Americans in the production of "synthetic" textiles. (326/200 Stage 2 Complete) (126/250 Stage 3) (-62 CI5 Electricity +2 Petroleum Fuels -6 Petrochemicals +2 Educated Labor) (+100 RpY)
To accompany a drive for domestic innovation and strengthen the domestic production of fiber, large-scale plants have been established for the production of polyester, acrylic, and nylon. These are primarily utilizing products derived from the petrochemical industry and once large-scale production is established will begin the Union's transition towards more advanced sources of fiber. Blends of the fibers with conventional fibers have already been pioneered at several industrial sites, allowing for an increase in consumer goods utilization and an improvement in the quality of clothing. Even with current investments the synthetic fiber industry will not be sufficient to overtake other production, but after the current expansions a far larger expansion can be undertaken. Rather than attempting an immediate shock effort further investment has gone towards more conventional plastics production with PVC prioritized for general-purpose use along with polyethylene.
Expanded Ammonia Plants: With new cultivars of dwarf wheat having a stronger fertilization response than older cultivars a general increase in the production of ammonia is necessary. Fertilizer intensity has only grown rapidly across the block and reducing the price of fertilizer is expected to be key for improving agricultural returns. If every small farmer can afford to use fertilizer and the education to use it well, smaller-scale production can more than overtake larger farms. Current programs will be focused on massive haber reactors to secure domestic supplies with facilities constructed to take advantage of available natural gas reserves. (177/150) (Complete) (-64 CI3 Electricity +1 Petroleum Fuels +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (+50 RpY)
Primary fixation of nitrogen for crops along with a focus on increasing nitric acid production for the chemical industry has put massive demand for the precursor. Increasing direct production has been energy intensive with massive haber reactor complexes funded in partnership with the largest chemical industrial enterprises to increase production further. Current programs aim to increase the direct production of ammonia above that of the Americans with further specialized programs aimed to utilize off-gas production from the Kansk-Achinsk coking operations. As the coal itself is being separated from its volatile content through coking processes and only recombined with tar, this syngas mixture is then cleaned and used as a preferable hydrogen feedstock rather than more conventional gas precursors. Two experimental facilities have been funded for the process with a further implementation expected if coal production continues to increase and the technology proves viable.
Synthetic Rubber Plants(Stage 2/4): The demand for more rubber is massive and endemic across the whole economy. The recent spook with the Indonesian government turnover has left the rubber market struck with buy-ups and general increases in stockpiling, leaving prices rapidly spiraling up. Increasing production now will serve to provide a basis for many civilian industries and begin the direct breakaway from rubber import dependency while producing polymers more suited to the Union's climate. Synthetic production is not expected to overtake natural rubber unless massive funding is committed properly, but it needs to improve the quality of rubber and reduce the massive import dependency. (162/75 Stage 2 Complete) (87+15 Omake/100 Stage 3 Complete) (2/150 Stage 4) (-49 CI5 Electricity -8 Petrochemicals +2 Educated Labor) (+60 RpY)
With a shock allocation of funding the development of the domestic rubber industry has been strongly prioritized over the current plan. Over two dozen new facilities are expected to be established with the latest techniques for producing rubber, shifting supplies radically away from natural rubber to synthetic alternatives. Synthetic rubber plants funded through incentive funds have been a fact of life for most automotive manufacturers, ensuring a steady supply along with several dedicated chemical enterprises but the current expansion represents a step further. The established production capacity is expected to nearly double the production of rubber in the Soviet Union over the next five years, ending any scarcity and finalizing the transition towards cheaper synthetic rubber. Domestic production is still likely to be far short of the Americans with some rubber imports maintained, but further funding can address the shortfall and accelerate industrial growth.
Farmers Markets: Access towards the mass sale of meat has always been questionable from small farms with meat production rendered excessively local. By establishing and helping to fund a series of local markets and encouraging grocers to stock local production significant gains can be made to the production of small farms. Dual-use agriculture is to an extent a fact of life with few small farms entirely specialized into a single crop or animal with farmers' markets allowing more varied craft produce to reach Soviet consumers. The funding of the program further promises to be cheap and encouraging local production can help with community involvement. (72/150) (nat 1) (Completed)
To encourage the production of meat and other consumer goods Tatarchuk has taken the general marketization program towards a novel direction. Modeling incentive funds for grain but towards healthier targets several novel funds have been developed for the production of meat along with a series of modified standards for the handling of livestock. The Union has historically lagged behind the West in the production of meat and the consumption of meat but through reducing its price and stimulating expanded utilization production can be improved. The largest of the measures effectively subsidizes the consumption of secondary resources in the process of production. Several further measures have also been proposed to improve the stock of local grocers and minimize haulage from refrigeration, giving private and state grocers benefits for using local meat and poultry products.
Water Management Programs: Officially admitting that water resources are limited and that no radical programs are coming to solve the problem is a monumental step. Limiting water itself is an open question and is almost certainly politically impossible but simple hardening and ensuring that catchment basins can be preserved can slow down the losses. An assessment of current irrigation works can be started to pioneer methods of reducing evaporation and increasing retention. Water savings are unlikely to reach even a fifth of required standards but buying more time for more effective measures is still worthwhile. (120 Resources per Dice 120/300)
Initial testing of water management programs and initiatives have been immediately focused on their use in the dryer soils left by the downstream of the Amu Darya hydrological cascade. The limitations in water access along with the retention of water for irrigation upstream outside of conventional growing seasons have limited the local land's productivity, causing a mild reduction in agricultural production despite increased resource commitments. Advanced techniques involving more precise drip irrigation have been prioritized for deployment, as if proven to be viable at a large scale significant water savings can be produced. Further through the consolidation of hydrological resources to production rather than wasteful ecological concerns, regional water efficiency is expected to significantly improve. Once the rivers themselves are tamed and new techniques developed it may even be possible to convert the water into targeted agricultural feedstock rather than then unmodernized open systems.
Expanded Childcare(Stage 6/6): Continuous expansions in the childcare system are necessary to entirely spread it across the entire Union. The Western parts of the Union have reached a sufficient development of services but past the Urals, the services steadily become more questionable. With a final surge in funding a universal system that can handle the current birth rates can be constructed to provide enough capacity for another decade if current trends hold. Further efforts would be necessary but the effective expansion of services is a critical component to the satisfaction of families and significantly contributes to workforce participation. (316+10 Omake/325) (Complete) (-10CI2 Electricity +2 General Labor) (Increase in Workforce Participation)
The finalization of the daycare system across the Caucasus and Central Asian republics has represented one of the largest service sector projects and has taken up a scale of development nearing that of the education system. The provision of free childcare for mothers has been effectively designed to work with maternity leave, with the parents responsible for raising the child after which the option for childcare is presented. The services themselves are expected to be a major cost without significant short-term economic returns but significant long-term ones. To reduce the overuse of services for mothers who are not working a nominal fee is charged to the family if both parents are not working, to ensure that use is kept to necessary cases. The full development of the system as it is is unlikely to be over-saturated in the next decade with the rapid increase in births after the war leveling out.
Localized Transport Services: The development of localized bus networks has been deprioritized due to the state of roads but that can be more than fixed. Committing a massive quantity of funding towards establishing regional and local bus lines to enable low-density commuting is an essential priority. Effective transportation to and from most remote villages will be the priority along with some expansions in local transit. For smaller locations, just a single looping route will be established but for those approaching the size of a city, a fully interconnected system can be made. The actual buses will only cover the fares cost with some loss expected but economically stimulating effects will more than compensate. (140 Resources per Dice 139/200)
Bus lines have formed the basis for transportation in cities without fully developed metro networks and as the only option across hundreds of small towns. Increasing the number of buses brought into state service has come with a series of new orders for modern vehicles more comfortable than any before them. Expanded benches and a chassis adapted for a long central aisle have formed the mainstay of medium-capacity buses and tens of thousands are expected to be purchased across the Union. The priority for the expansion has come with urban centers that have not adapted well to the growing population especially as rapid urbanization has continued. The flight from the countryside over the last two decades has revolutionized urban life but urban services are only now catching up to the greater populations.
Prison Reform Program: Following the report of the Obukhov Commission on the prison crisis and seeking a way to modernize the industry several changes are expected to be implemented. Previous methods of increasing workforce participation have proven to be questionable in implementation with punishment proving to be a lacking implementation. Rather than focusing on punishment, the system can be shifted towards encouraging work through alternative means. New extended sentencing guidelines will be passed with the expectation that if a prisoner is participating in work programs the sentences will be effectively reduced. For those that do not work, this represents a near doubling of sentences but it will remove the incentives for the excessive punishment of non-working prisoners. (87) (Supreme Soviet) (Mild Labor Cost Changes)
With the reduction of the prison population in the aftermath of the Mikoyan reforms alongside issues in increasing the rate of prison labor a comprehensive reform has been judged as necessary. Regardless of the concerns for the treatment of prisoners, unwilling workers have proven to have the worst rates of recidivism compared to even non-working prisoners with even worse rates of productive employment after a sentence. To reform the practice rights for prisoners have passed along with a ban on punishments for non-working prisoners. To maintain workforce participation and the rehabilitative nature of justice, most crimes have been modified to have a dual-track sentencing rate, as prisoners working without encouragement have the lowest rates of recidivism. For prisoners who are determined to avoid engagement with the system, sentencing guidelines have been strengthened to almost double that of previous sentences, but these have accompanied reductions in prison time for prisoners who are excited and capable of working in the economy.
Increasing Domestic Innovation: Domestic scientific production is becoming more and more instrumental in the mounting conflict with the capitalist world. Three dedicated grant funding organizations have been founded for the private sector and individual researchers operating outside the conventional university system to increase domestic innovation. Much of the grant money is certain to be wasted and misallocated but by providing technicians and engineers the chance to fulfill both state and commercial demand. Private labs have proven to be more agile than conventional academies and by increasing the funding provided a large number of novel technical solutions can be generated. (34) (Supreme Soviet)
A unilateral increase in grant funding for ambitious and technical projects has been passed across a multitude of fields to provide support for private and state scientific ventures. Many of the projects themselves are partially questionable as it is to a large extent the government subsidizing the development of direct consumer-facing products, working around the system of incentive funds. Further, the funding itself has been criticized as questionable and excessive, shifting funds away from production and giving incentives for enterprises to waste money on unnecessary research as it is provided with comparatively few conditions. The act has still passed but it is an ugly compromise and has been deeply unpopular outside of the Seymonov-Podgorny position.
Domestic Production Programs: Balakirev has come to the arguably good political decision that the current struggle with trade balances makes a fertile political environment. Coming on hard to the fiber issue Balakirev has advocated for tariffs on imported fibers to improve the profitability of domestic production and strengthen industry discipline. This is to be accompanied by a strong subsidy for plants that utilize domestic petroleum by allowing them to fast-track several regulations to increase production as rapidly as possible. The full act is unlikely to pass, but some watered-down version is nearly certain to get through the Supreme Soviet, if only as a hanger-on to other legislation. (81) (Balakirev)
Resource substitution through encouraging domestic production has proven a popular initiative amongst the chemical industry and the domestic industry. Benefits have been broadly provided to manufacturers of synthetic fibers and rubbers along with clothing plants that use at least a blend including twenty percent of domestic fibers. The shift towards the incorporation of polyester into the majority of domestic clothing production will take time, but local industrial production has already responded to the demand. Further production will take time and increasing the percentage used in conventional fibers for benefits will take even more time as the textile industry is far less agile than the chemical industry.
Force a Euro Vote: The current economic crisis in CMEA is the perfect pretext for driving forward decisive reforms to improve integration and local economics. The Euro is still in its prototypical stages but something along the lines of a universal currency of interconvertibility can be implemented now. This would be an effective introduction of standards for national economies including maximum deficits outside emergency circumstances, a normalization of interest rates, and several financial standards otherwise only upheld in the Union and Germany. The new currency itself would serve as a transitional point, taking a basket of currencies across the block to keep its valuation stable while expanding its use for all inter-state banking transactions. (Uses Favor) (41)
Seymonov has followed through on his promise after much complaining and a persistent attack from both the right and left wings but with the backing of Romanov. A vote has been pushed through focusing on the enforcement of financial standards on Soviet loans to CMEA nations along with a stabilization of foreign currency reserves. Despite massive political opposition, the vote has been forced as a case of the Foreign Ministers initiative to avoid the Supreme Soviet excessively complaining. The entire project is more of the same exchange rate margins, forming a single European Transfer Unit that can be used as its exchange currency in place of more conventional currency transactions that are effectively gold-backed. The ETU comprises a portion of each member's currency balanced by relative economy and administered by a new unified banking system administered through a series of representatives balanced by population but favoring the smaller states in ratio.
Scientific Exchange Programs: Formalizing large-scale study and student programs to analyze foreign farming practices can improve domestic experiences and transfer new techniques. Much of what is learned will be more of an academic curiosity than useful information, but any improvement that can be made is an improvement. Borrowing techniques aren't expected to walk over any toes, as even the capitalists have not trademarked any methodologies. Expertise transfer is not expected to remotely work during this plan, but it can help in the next plan. (100) (nat 100)
As the Soviet demand for educated personnel has only accelerated with the current plan the priority has fallen towards the importation of foreign labor, especially for technical aspects. An effectively unlimited number of partially teaching graduate student slots have been opened in critical fields for industry and defense, allowing thousands of students to study in the Union and help with further domestic development. Most of these students and labs run by them are expected to be provided with basic grant money for research and further, by teaching local students the costs are expected to be entirely recouped with few issues, and by providing local graduate degrees Soviet science can significantly be improved. Furthermore, the hiring of foreign graduate students doing field-relevant research has been opened to all domestic enterprises outside positions of military classification, accelerating development and access to capable personnel.
Reorganize a Department(Light Industry): Working to appoint new ministers is going to be essential to ensure that the ministry itself can function. The separation of the light industrial and chemical department has been long expected but new deputies must be confirmed. There are likely to be some political costs but replacing any open position is comparatively simpler than attempting larger re-organizations. (27)
The development of the light industry has remained mired in controversy for the entire history of the Union with some on the left decrying it for slowing down conventional development while some on the right advocate a course of total separation of planning apparatuses from consumer goods involvement. When it comes to the appointment of a deputy minister, these two perspectives have created significant conflicts, with a comparative neutrality of the center towards which of the two to embrace. The available candidates are all inherently political due to the nature of the debate with few willing to follow past policies rather than reforming into something new. Romanov has ascertained that he is willing to confirm whatever deputy is presented as long as they are not excessively controversial but Shulyakov must remain at his post.
[]Vladimir Akimovich Demchenko: A wartime mechanical engineering graduate who took to a party career directly out of Baumanka Demchenko represents the newer generation of party cadres that came in through the Mikoyan reforms. He is something of a radical, advocating for an increase in the private and cooperative sectors of the consumer economic system while also advocating for state funding for specialty products. His line is that the state must only be there to start technical and high capital works while the private sector handles production scale matters. This of course is an incorrect view but he is otherwise respectable and more importantly has considerable experience directly managing enterprises in the Moscow Oblast.
[]Lev Aleksekevich Koykolainen: Entering the party as a follow-on from military work Koykolainen rose through the development of Leningrad and was one of the many cadres moved into authority by Voznesensky. His education is closer to civil engineering rather than inherently one focusing on the administration of consumer matters. Nonetheless, Koykolainen presided over one of the largest increases in local consumer production and increases in living standards in the city. His short service as industrial minister has provided little basis for a promotion, but he is loyal, competent, and at least politically conventional.
[]Yuri Filippovich Solovyov: Moving into the party thanks to a mixture of a wartime career and the Mikoyan reforms Solovyov has decisively taken charge of the development of infrastructure across the northern RSFSR. To this end, the road program has led to his promotion as it strongly enhanced consumer goods production. As one of the men spearheading the program along with its primary goal to develop consumer goods production, its success has pushed him further in the party. In his belief the primary role of the state is the direct support of the consumer goods sector, developing the infrastructure and funding necessary for success towards increasing production.
12 Hour Moratorium
