Attempting to Fulfill the Plan MNKh Edition

[Dessard]

Something that has been a recurring find in the anti-corruption investigations has been Price Fixing. From the big ring in Gorky we got on the plan's first turn to the rash of them in Minsk exposed on the floor of the Supreme Soviet, this collusion among managers has been a major parasite on the Soviet economy.

And I can't think of any practical way to remedy it so long as we have market mechanics. It doesn't show up on any balance sheet or engineering drawing, and it's incentivized heavily by our profitability metrics. The pseudo-capitalist managers know their basic game theory, and can calculate that if they all keep their prices high they'll have better-looking numbers than if they all raced to the bottom trying to undercut each other. Anyone have any ideas? Please help.

Click to shrink...

Kleshchev has ideas!

 

[MSH]

Anyone have any ideas? Please help.

Click to shrink...

• Assess performance by a variety of metrics, not just profitability.
• Collect multiple source forensic reports of pricing and enterprise behavior, investigating those who's official reports fail to sufficiently reflect this.
• Step the party line one to the left, and become the official price fixer ourselves, using the skeleton of meme OGAS to bound managerial supply and demand.
• Step the party line one to the right, and give the managers more ability to control their prices, paradoxically reducing their ability to collude by encouraging betrayal and undercutting.

Not all mutually compatible or equally viable, but the start would be along some of these lines.

 

[darknessworld]

Maybe it is possibile to set up some category specific ratings, which change every tot years, of products characteristics and price windows that the managers have to respect if they don't want to have their production investigated, and possibly lose their job?

Failure to reduce prices or increase certain characteristics can be accepted only if you are investing in new technologies and/or production methods, at least for some time, but only if the sector isn't technologically mature.

 

[Vi'Talzin]

A couple of updates ago, Masherov and Podgorny were proposing better and more transparent accounting. He might move forward with that. Furthermore, Klimenko did a very good job in creating a culture that overt displays of corruption are frowned upon. You can even see this in play in Klimenko's description of Romanov "The man himself is further nowhere near as committed towards the previous degree of social understanding". The biggest vector of attack on Abramov on our part was his backroom dealings with the Minsk patronage ring. Romanov has clearly learned from that.

Fancy dinners with your manager friends? That is ok. The main manager at VAZ giving the one at the Kursk Steel Mill a brand new sports car in exchange for favorable contracts? No bueno. Corruption is of course something you can't really eliminate, but I don't think its something we will need to worry too much about until the next generation of bureaucracy comes in.

 

[Blackstar]

Turn 78 (January 1st, 1968 - January 1st, 1969): The Moment of Breakthrough Results


Military Equipment:

Next-generation rifle trials have been started to in one part lower the average load of the soldier while carrying an adequate number of rounds and to increase the precision of fire when conducting assault action. A move to a lighter cartridge has been universally agreed upon by every bureau as it is expected that the AKM and its ammunition will be retired before 1980. Actual geometries of the new round are still a partially open question with efforts centered around significantly extending base zero ballistics, effectively extending the range of engagement. Further work on the modernization of the Makarov has proceeded with the integration of an advanced polymer body and a wider magazine allowing for the feed of twelve rounds without a significant gain in weight.

The need for a new Uniform has been pressing due to considerable global advancements in polymers and fibers. Incorporating some synthetic elements and ensuring a far more durable base outfit a new series of uniforms is expected to be issued. The summer uniform comprises a basic buttoned jacket and pants, lightened slightly from the previous issue and incorporating a new splotched pattern with better resistance to light amplification. The winter uniform has effectively been issued as a two-layer system of clothes, with a heavy outer jacket matched with a heavier set of pants to be put directly over a non-camouflaged inner layer. This has been combined with a new issuance of carrying equipment incorporating aluminum lightning and the latest fabrics, providing troops with a significant improvement in capability on the march.

To augment carrying capacities and take the examples of Chinese work towards improving soldier equipment, the distribution a new frontal carrying system has been started. Inspired by the type 56 and extending it, the new rig incorporates four double magazine pouches for standard AKM magazines along with four smaller auxiliary pockets for alternative equipment. Issuances have been prioritized for assault, airborne, and marine units as they are expected to receive the most benefits from such a setup. The general armed forces themselves are only expected to receive it by 1970 as production increases but it alone offers a significant improvement in load distribution. Some have proposed variations for alternative squad roles, but the limitations of frontal carrying capacity strongly limit what additional equipment can be packed on.

To improve squad-level anti-tank firepower, a new light anti-tank system has entered service with a 70mm cumulative warhead. The light three kg RPG-18 is expected to enter service in any area where there exists a significant risk of enemy armored vehicles. By distributing out light anti-tank firepower for close-in fighting, urban combat against enemy armor can be made significantly easier. The light launcher effectively only has a use-able range of 150m, but given the availability of other anti-tank firepower that should be adequate. In areas without the strong expectation of armor, the rocket system can be deployed in a far more limited manner to ensure that every squad has at least an option against enemy armor.

Lower-level anti-aircraft firepower has been further enhanced by the standard issuance of portable anti-aircraft systems on the battalion level. The new missile system is entirely man-portable and features a significantly improved nitrogen-cooled seeker system. Front-aspect engagements against fast-moving jets are still questionable, with rear-aspect ones problematic due to missile kinetics, but they can now be performed. Further chemistry improvements in the motor itself have extended the range of the next-generation Strela-2 system, allowing it to strike most helicopter targets. Production of the new system also comes right as several examples of the old system have been moved to mass sale, augmenting the capacity of fraternal socialist allies.

The development of heavier anti-armor arms has come two separate parts of a greater armament complex, with lighter systems for more mobile units and a standardized heavy system for mechanized units. Any light and either sea or air mobile unit is expected to carry the 9K111 system with a ten-kilogram missile capable of engaging targets out to one and a half kilometers with a SACLOS guidance system. For mechanized units, the 9K113 has been developed to arm the BMP and provide a massive capacity expansion as an integrated element. The surplus of missiles carried for the vehicles external tubes can be used by the infantry allowing the same munitions to be used for both with a launcher carried in the back. The heavier sixteen-kilogram missile is expected to engage armored targets out to three and a half kilometers.

Total modernization and mechanization of the ground forces have proven to be a far more complicated task than initially expected. Limited internal volume and testing with the commander dismounted have demonstrated significant limitations in the ability of the turret-mounted gunner to independently spot enemies. Work around the limitations of having two crew on the vehicle that does not dismount is expected to be problematic but should be compensated for by the commander being able to direct fire externally. The ATGM complex itself has had few technical issues and the gun is functional if unexceptional. Protection across the frontal arc has been judged as more than adequate against heavy machine guns while protection on the side is enough to repel armor-piercing rifle fire. Amphibious crossings by the vehicle remain challenging, but can still be done under moderately windy conditions.

Problems with the T64A have been partially resolved as more advanced production techniques and front-line reports have reached the factories. The initially over-complicated engine has been made adequately reliable with the next-generation gearbox mostly not problematic relative to expected lifespans. The suspension of the tank has given several problems but they have been mostly fixed. Improved internals have allowed the gunner to control the suspension, lowering the tank against any target that necessitates further lowering or raising. New production models remain problematic with several parts consistently recalled for factory overhaul, but half a decade of work has made it mostly acceptable. New bids for a further generation of tanks that can unify the two designs and work towards the retirement of the T52 have been placed even if they are not expected to be in production any time soon.

Modernization of towed guns started with a decisive push to get rid of older guns made in the immediate aftermath of the war. To replace all heavy artillery pieces with a new standard system a single combined long-range 152mm gun has entered the design phase with continued work on both lightening and range optimization. Consolidation of lighter guns has been planned to work around the 122mm gun with improvements made to the older D-30 design. Both improved guns and work on them are expected to be fit to a tracked chassis once completed, improving the capacity for mobile fires.

With the current naval manpower situation and the accelerating construction of more modern submarines priority has fallen towards the optimization of men in service. Venerable boats of both the 611 and 613 classes have been ordered into retirement with three of each expected to become museum ships. These boats have failed to adapt to improved quieting measures and are not expected to accomplish anything but killing men by the hundred in wartime. Further, the fleet's nuclear noisemakers are expected to be retired soon as despite the massive number of technical innovations built into the hull the 627 class is too problematic for operation. Issues with the nuclear cores have only encouraged this view as they are expected to be universally broken up when due for refueling.

Through the expectation of several aspects of improved machinery and acoustic tiles, both the 671 and 670 classes with improved screws and quieting measures are expected to be constructed. Hull structural elements are expected to be maintained for both improvements to the class even if a partial suite of far-improved electronics and hydrophone systems are mounted. Comprehensive work on testing techniques has advanced the understanding of submarines considerably as both boats are expected to become the work-horses of the fleet. Capability additions from a new missile system capable of supersonic attacks and a massively more resistant active seeker are expected to be fielded on all submarines of the 670 class. New missiles are expected to conduct underwater launches from 100km of an enemy fleet, striking it with a sea-skimming profile.

Experimental work on an advanced demonstrator submarine for testing new reactor concepts and improved automation has been built as the 705 class. Originally envisaged as a 1500-ton nuclear submarine with a molten salt reactor the weight has almost doubled even if the speed has been preserved. Fleet concepts of improving automation for the next generation of submarines are evaluated on the hulls along with several major improvements in propeller design and maneuverability. Crew onboard has been reduced to just thirty-five men, allowing the boat to operate at almost a third of the crew of conventional boats. New high-speed torpedoes have been fielded on the submarine with a remote capability to operate upgraded torpedoes.

Said new torpedo comes in as a logical development of the SET-65 through incorporating advanced electronic technologies. A stronger active and passive system has been incorporated into the torpedo improving the range of acquisition and countermeasure tolerance. Further, the remote operation of the torpedo has allowed for ordinance loaded into specialized tubes to be controlled for the full range of the forty-knot regime, giving the torpedo almost fifteen kilometers of direct control. To allow commanders to have a greater choice in tactical flexibility when bringing the system against surface ships, a slow mode has been incorporated as a setting with twenty-five kilometers of range at thirty-five knots.

The first of the new Kharkov class carriers have almost finished construction to planning over time and budget. The ships represent a massive gain over the far smaller Moscow class along with the capability to operate supersonic jets in a far larger air wing. Current work on the designs is still underway with several important lessons integrated to improve capability. The carriers themselves are only expected to host forty-eight Mig-23Ks along with six airborne warning aircraft and eight ASW helicopters. Total operational loads are expected to contain spares for prolonged operations with some room for further developments as after the Kharkov is completed the Tashkent is expected to follow just a few years afterward.

Continued development of the Northern submarine area has also continued with work started on a massive system of hydrophones to enable the detection and hunting of American ballistic missile submarines. Massive hydrophone arrays mounted both above and below the thermocline are expected to be a massive project that will take several more years, but the ability to direct submarines against opponents may at some point save millions of Soviet lives. The network itself will first be completed at Murmansk with eight more installations planned in the north while four are planned in the Far East. Each of the installations is going to be paired with very low-frequency capabilities and new computing systems, allowing unparalleled capabilities in detection.

The first flights and issuance of the Mig-23 have been pushed forward to combat the mass issuance of the American F4 to several nations along with the growing sophistication of American air-power. Training units have received the plane first with good views of it, the intake AoA issues have yet to be entirely solved but it can easily significantly exceed the turning performance of anything before it. The radar system itself has several limitations due to its rushed nature but future planes are practically expected to receive a full electronics reconfiguration once supplies are adequate. Initial training units equipped with the plane have started to test its performance in radar-exclusive combat, launching ordinance without a direct visual.

For close-in maneuvers, IRST systems along with enhanced acquisition modes have been incorporated and synchronized to missile seekers to greatly increase capability in close ranges. The radar display integration with the main display is still simpler than expected but judged as adequate. Counter-tactics for fighting the plane have indicated that an improved warning of radar acquisition is necessary for adequate evasion but the system is only expected to be fit with avionics overhauls. The Mig-23K effectively gains half a ton in weight for a hardier airframe capable of performing carrier launches. Both variations can technically carry the next generation of light anti-shipping missiles on all four inner towers, but it is not expected to be necessary in a fighter or interceptor role.

Every Mig-25 is almost double the price of the Mig-23 with an even greater cost coming from its missile system. Despite being developed on an older electronics basis its radar system is the most powerful ever flown, capable of tracking sixteen targets and guiding four separate missiles simultaneously. The capability to operate in a pulse doppler mode against low-altitude bombers has also been pushed forward, significantly improving capabilities. The radar itself is likely to be replaced once better electronics are available, but current models are considered more than adequate. Test pilots have further flown the plane with far heavier than designed loads showing some promise for use as a tactical missile carrier on the inner pylons. Despite starting production, technical improvements are still expected as the temperamental AL-21 engines are fuel-hungry and maintenance-heavy.

With the general success and good reception of the Mig-25, its less revolutionary backup in the form of the Tu-148 has been canceled. This has come with the transfer of focus of the Tupolev bureau to the new Tu-26. The swing wing modification of the Tu-22 has technically been designed as a stopgap system while work on the far more ambitious next-generation bomber is underway. Current capabilities expect the mounting of three Kh-22 missiles with one carried internally in strike configurations, allowing the bomber to easily engage enemy fleet elements and act as a tactical platform. Technical development of the next generation of the ordinance has already been started to replace the Kh-22 in all roles by improving guidance and significantly accelerating diving-approach speed.

The civilian drive for the Tu-144 has been primarily done at the bureau level and so far only produced a horrifically problematic airliner that nonetheless flies. The plane can accomplish a supersonic regime, justifying some limited funding but reliability must be brought up to let it into general service. The plane itself has however inspired the true next generation of bomber aviation that can be derived from the lessons learned on wing forms. With a new program ambitious goals have been set on improving bomber performance to previously unheard of levels. Pioneering development programs for high-thrust turbines capable of sustained supersonic flight have been combined with advanced aerodynamics and the goal of minimizing radar returns from primary angles. The main priority of the program is to carry four heavy anti-shipping or tactical missiles at a sustained speed higher than Mach two for at least eight thousand kilometers, replacing the Tu-26 in all roles.

The just entering-into-service Su-17 program has produced mixed results as even with the swung wing subsonic performance is far from expectations while compatibility with precision ordinance is limited. The airframe is still a significant improvement over the Su-7 and it is expected that enough will be produced to fully utilize leftover production capacity for the Al-7 engine, with production retired afterward. The much more ambitious Su-24 program has received the majority of attention with improvements in wing geometry borrowed from both the Tu-144 and Mig-23. Further improvements in the design have moved towards a single-cranked delta without either a tail or canards. This has allowed for a reduction of drag in low-altitude penetration missions, improving performance. The nose system is expected to mount an integrated electro-optical laser device to allow for the independent guidance of ordinance by the copilot, massively extending ordinance efficiency.

With the sheer expense and technical nature of the Mig-25, there has been some debate on its role as an interceptor. The continuation of development on the already mature Su-15 airframe has enabled a significant capacity extension on the new Su-15Bis platform, with new engines, missiles, and avionics. Newly developed R-25 engines are expected to be paired with a radar system directly derived from the Mig-25. Furthermore, cockpit electronics have been updated to newer versions, capable of working as either a directed system or independently in interception work. The improved wing is expected to improve the plane's range while cruising significantly while also enabling a far higher emergency after-burn in case of emergency. Further, the increased carrying capacity will allow for the mounting of four R40s along with a drop tank in standard configuration extending operational and intercept ranges.

The actual R-40 system has proven problematic as initial assessments and evaluations for the use of a dual seeker have proven to be beyond technical capabilities. This has effectively produced two variations on the missile itself, one with a thermal seeker and one with a radar seeker. The former is thoroughly disappointing, as the engagement ranges practically require a rear profile launch at closer ranges than the missile would be capable of. The radar seeker itself paired with modern radar systems works far better, with mixed modes significantly narrowing the ability for enemy evasion. On a lighter scale, the R-13 missile has also benefited from similar improvements in development with a model made with a thermal seeker and one with a radar seeker. Limitations in thermal seeker design still significantly limit shots outside the rear aspect for both systems, but unlike with lighter ordinances, they can be done.

Continued improvement in the R3M has forced the development of a new missile system, both to fit into lighter wingtip mounts on modernized air-frames and to provide additional maneuver capability to better complement heavier systems. A new generation light sixty-kilogram system has been designed with a more consistent nitrogen-cooled seeker along with a massive increase in maneuverability. Some range tradeoffs have been made, but those ranges are expected to be covered by the R13 for front-line combat aircraft. The low weight of the system itself has not allowed for a heavier seeker capable of combat-relevant front aspect shots to be mounted, but the seeker itself promises to massively improve the accuracy of side-aspect shots conducted from close ranges. Further work on the missile system is still expected as once more advanced seekers can be miniaturized true front aspect capability can be achieved.

To pair with the new bid a new complex of anti-shipping missiles has started development to massively extend the capabilities of the Kh-22. Improved radar guidance, stronger systems, and significantly increased speed on both the attack and cruise can be developed as an essential part of new strike packages. The liquid-fueled stage will have to be maintained but a far more advanced engine can be taken from developments in the space program. Tentative synchronization of the missile to commands over-satellite has been proposed but is considered technically challenging for now. The missile itself is expected to be more compact in bays and come in at a lighter five tons, providing a target for the bomber program to meet. Tupolev is likely to be the winner in the bid due to their greater experience in bomber airframes, but the question is technically an open one.

As metallurgical progress has only accelerated, an open question has formed of what engines to refit the recently introduced Tu-134 with. Choosing to prefer a domestic engine and one of the first high bypass turbofans made domestically, the D-36 has been chosen for refits along with a clean sheet redesign of the cockpit for the Tu-134M. Old bomber-like features are to be entirely removed with a more modern cockpit put in place. The massively improved efficiency alone from changing to a more modern engine design with a greater potential for improvement alone is expected to keep the line open despite more modern airframes. In current service, it is expected to effectively form a core part of regional jet aviation, servicing several smaller airports due to its rough field capability.

For the next generation of narrow-body airliners though, further innovations are necessary and beyond the realm of immediately available industry. The design work on the newer Tu-154 narrowbody has been fairly far ahead but no suitable domestic engine could be sourced. As a part of general trade outreach though, there was a British engine currently under development that could be licensed on favorable terms with allowances for mostly domestic manufacturing outside of specialty parts. The new Rolls Royce engine has a massive degree of promise and a significantly greater quantity of power allowing a more stable and conventional twin engine configuration. Expansions of the cabin compared to the Tu-134 are expected to allow for almost two hundred passengers in a mass-transport configuration. Work on both the engine and airframe is still underway but both will be paired for a true mid-range passenger transport.

Taking the licensed British engine as an innovative high-power system the heavier accompaniment to the Tu-154 has entered the design phase. The Il-86 is effectively an improvement over both the Il-62 and An-22 combining the role of the two models in a new wide-body configuration. The new design includes several lessons learned from the two-deck configuration of the An-22, though narrowing the upper deck to simplify loading and unloading while carrying over five hundred passengers in a basic configuration. The range of the new design is expected to be sufficient to fly anywhere in the Union from Moscow, including destinations in India and China. The largest issue with the new plane is the sheer size of airports and runways required as far more construction will be necessary.


External Politics:

American politics have consolidated around Humphry with a continuation of a series of policies from Johnson along with a general drive towards buying off domestic labor. Increases in social spending have been pushed through resistance from the right wing after declarations that the great society did not go far enough. He has broadly taken a more pacifistic line relative to his predecessor with a foreign policy focused on moralistic outreach and attempting to establish democratic regimes in the mold of the state. Further, efforts to tackle domestic racism have expanded with proposed reforms to both the healthcare and education system made to allow for a theoretically greater degree of equity.

A second Argentine coup has gone ahead with likely a degree of acceptance from the Americans, declaring itself as the Argentinian revolution. A series of generals have effectively consolidated power with the formation of a military council to further centralize power. Immediate moves towards opening access to domestic resources along with a general wage freeze have indicated the likely cause of the coup as American interests but intelligence services have not been able to confirm it. The recent stumbles in petroleum prices have led the new government to further reduce the national monopoly of oil production, likely due to external needs for more production. This move has caused a degree of internal protests but little is expected to come of them.

Algerian diplomatic programs have intensified both in scope and pervasiveness as a focus on militarization has brought in thousands of arms and defensive means to protect the fragile republic. Mass-scale training with personal anti-aircraft systems along with anti-tank systems has started with the start of two new entirely mechanized armored divisions being formed for the harshest work. Local airforces are not expected to stand up to a committed French campaign but even a few Mig-21s can significantly reduce the capacity for indiscriminate bombing. Arms programs towards insurgencies on the Gold Coast have also been stepped up with the cooperation of the Algerian government as instructors and arms have been shipped across the porous borders to rebels able and willing to attain their freedom.

The East African Federation has performed poorly if adequately for the time, the temporary shock in petrochemical prices led to widespread protests against the government as recently modernizing urban areas experienced acute fuel issues. The quick resolution of the fuel supply and measures towards improving stability did allow the situation to return to normal but the problems are still there. Without significant domestic oil extraction and a more stable petrochemical sector, any nation is practically guaranteed to instability. Further work on increasing energy independence has started with assessments of local resources to increase petroleum extraction. If deposits of adequate quantity and quality are located it is expected that large-scale extraction can begin.

Continued fighting for Angolan independence and the reduction of South African and Rhodesian incursions has only intensified in recent months as equipment losses have mounted. Capable use of the South African air forces has significantly reduced the capacity for friendly forces to move despite measures to improve defenses. Localized air defense systems have been primitive cannons more designed for suppressive fire than effective kills. The instability in the region and the sheer escalatory pressure a full-scale arming can induce is still considered excessive, but those problems have not bothered our Korean allies. Work towards improving their domestic production of dedicated anti-aircraft systems and heavy equipment is underway as significant quantities of older tooling are sold off at discount prices.

Northern Europe has caused a partial diplomatic crisis with a Swedish atomic test of a small warhead, indicating that the country can produce an independent nuclear deterrent. There have been no commitments about moving into an alliance from Sweden but it is expected to significantly embolden forces both in Denmark and Finland to move away from their current stance. In an ideal condition, the Nordic nations would move into their diplomatic pact separate from NATO but that is deeply uncertain. Influence movements have already started to attempt to shift the political environment towards one more friendly towards the Union but those may still fail.

The last year has seen unrest flare across Poland, Germany, and Austria as fuel prices fluctuated leading to significant drives in inflationary indices across the countries. Misguided worker protests in Poland were rapidly dealt with by local security forces with few issues as the peaceful marches could be safely ignored with the loudest agitators removed. Austrian instability was comparatively harder to contain as the movement started with a degree of violence from the outset, leaving it easy to discredit but problematic to contain in the immediate phase. Security advisors and a surplus of policing forces managed to contain and draw it out but it represents a concerning source of instability. Germany for its part effectively ignored the few complaints and allowed them to pass, with the government now taking credit for reducing fuel prices.


Infrastructure

Western USSR Regional Roads: The Western USSR has some of the best roads when compared to the rest of the nation, but even those are considered internationally poor. Constructing a massive series of two-lane roads to act as regional feeders and linking them with previously built high-capacity systems will be more of an exercise of paving the few yet-to-be-paved major roadways, ensuring that every area has acceptably poor access. Further efforts are expected to get more expensive, but they are relatively deprioritized compared to the development of similar systems in regions where no tentative efforts have even started. (356/300) (Completed)

The completion of the primary system of local roads has come practically a decade later than they were first necessary but they have been completed. Committed efforts towards expanding the network outside of areas with other transit resources have allowed for a gradual intensification of automotive traffic to farms, with most rural areas being at most twenty kilometers from a paved road. Continued work to extend the network into the North is still going to be necessary if intensive development takes off, but that is a problem for the future. Now that the general structure of the network has been completed programs can be started to build up local connections and pave roads into agricultural areas and remote towns, allowing for further development and a sufficient system of transport integration.

Soviet Roads to Nowhere: The USSR has continued its development of the road system by adding several thousand miles of roads in the West alone with the local administration hailing it as the success of the current plan. Some anonymous officials have likened the effect to a general coverup of the previous anti-corruption investigations that had a limited impact, as many were pardoned. The construction of roads itself was a simple task that the Union could more than accomplish and do to an excessive degree. Paved roads now range into agricultural areas going to nowhere with few able to even use them. The program itself is expected to continue as a large jobs program, increasing employment while building yet more useless roads. -New York Post, 1969


Ural Regional Roads: Continued development of local infrastructure is a logical extension of previous programs and a near requirement given the Supreme Soviet. Work on these roads will drive towards a general improvement in transportation focused on improving the interconnections between the Northern and Southern inhabited corridors. The terrain will allow for a massive increase in the paved kilometers of roads and improve local transportation. As one of the centers of newly developing industries and a core of natural resource utilization, roads will produce a massive economic return and practically pay for themselves through increasing economic turnover. (100 Resources per Dice 355/400)

Continued programs to develop the road system in the harshest conditions so far have been problematic but it has still been pushed through. Innovations in laying road beds on permafrost along with improvements in structural engineering have overcome previous challenges in expanding the general system. Construction outside the agricultural belt has been prioritized to a lower extent than in agricultural areas. A few small connections to towns outside of the main inhabited belt have been made to allow for easier access but these are not expected to be significantly expanded. The largest effective roads have induced something of a local boom in productivity as cheap electricity from existing hydroelectric installations and ready access to coal have driven significant economic gains.


Caucuses Regional Roads: The narrow corridor in the Caucasus can theoretically be developed without the previous linkage of it outside. Most movement of goods locally is conducted in a narrow corridor between mountains and by improving it significant economic returns will be possible. The movement of goods between republics will of course take a significant hit as local supply routes are prioritized, but to fulfill local development obligations and improve the general economy it should be both sufficient and significantly cheaper. (118/100) (Completed)

The development of regional roads has come more as a factor of providing branches off of the main high-capacity road system to cities built in inconvenient locations. Work towards connecting them with paved roads has proceeded with few issues as the mountainous terrain had already been developed. The work on completing the program in totality will not be done until the end of the decade but the majority has already been paved. The work to link the farms themselves has been done at a lower priority as the terrain is hostile to any significant infrastructural program. Tentative proposals towards providing more transportation for local workers have already been made but they exist entirely outside the scope of the current plan as there are still millions of workers with practically nothing.


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. (100 Resources per Dice 114/500)

The massive routes cutting through the vastness of the Central Asian republics have started the construction of practically a new project of national mobilization. The first major leg has been built starting from an interconnection between Chelyabinsk and Omsk, reaching downwards from Petropavl and pushing south towards Balkhash through Akmolinsk. A secondary Western Route has also started construction through Uralsk to Kizyl-Arvat to create diversions towards Nukus and Ashgabat while further linking the coastal cities on the Caspian. Both of the roads represent the priority in construction as they are expected to form a core logistical corridor into Central Asia. A further linkage going south from Chelyabinsk and Orenburg is expected to connect and push further south, linking with Tashkent and significantly improving road access.


Central Asian Regional Roads: Local movement of goods has been a consistent factor of life across the Central Asian republics, but even enabling a paved route towards the nearest railway hub can allow for significant transport improvements. Many of the regional roads will be built as rationalized two-lane endeavors through the mostly underutilized countryside, ensuring that major enterprises can keep goods almost entirely on paved surfaces. Urban development will continue alongside the larger road system, ensuring that every town and every city has a linkage to the general transportation system. The development of links outside the region is outside of this effort, but just improving local transport should deliver massive returns. (100 Resources per Dice 22/500)

The start of planning on regional systems has come with the prospective integration of the Kyrgyz and Tajik SSR as both have continuously been limited in transportation capacity. The primary goal of the program, at least at first is the tight integration of all three through a general system of transportation centered around the Dushanbe to Frunze corridor through Tashkent. This system is expected to afterward be significantly expanded into the interior to improve service access. Further work on developing the Uzbek inhabited belt along with the coastal Caspian cities will come after the immediate shortages in transportation are addressed, allowing for significant leaps in general integration.


Power Grid Expansions: The localization of power production and the increase in the development of local power systems can only push off general grid modernization for so long. The increasing demands for power and massive construction efforts during the current plan must be compensated for to continue acute development and maintain stable grid balances. Work towards expanding the high voltage grid is expected to be prioritized, but further work towards improving the safety of local grids and modernizing low-level transmission wiring is expected to follow. There is no reason to accept the increased fire risk of old-style wiring when modern alternatives are both cheaper and more efficient. (100 Resources per Dice 251/275)

Stabilization work has come on the power grid if in a fairly late and limited state compared to the quantity of power being brought online. Localization of development along with advances towards better circuitry have continuously allowed for significant leaps forward in capability. Higher voltages and improved transformers have served to reduce transmission losses in essential areas but these have required funding to be allocated for further modernization. Technical programs to improve the grid itself are almost completed even if further progress will be needed immediately afterwards given the sheer rate of electrical consumption.


Heavy Industry (8) 5 Dice

Bakchar Deposit Utilization(Stage 1/3): New steel deposits are necessary to continue the development of the Union and further provide steel in the Far East for local construction projects. The location near the Kuzbas deposit and in the presence of a magnetic anomaly just as massive as the one at Kursk is essential for the further development of the Steel industry. Starting large-scale surface extraction with modern equipment along with the construction of several mills for the production of steel through oxygenation is necessary to enable development and further improve domestic steel supplies in the face of increasing construction and development. (366/250 Stage 1 Complete) (116/200 Stage 2) (-24 CI5 Electricity -8 Steel +2 Coal +4 General Labor +1 Educated Labor)

The massive new iron deposit has required the employment of new techniques towards increasing mining and the practical construction of a new town for optimal habitation. The area's local black coals have proven core towards improving production as material directly from Kuzbas can be consumed for the production of steel. Technical work towards further improving the general system has been incorporated into the process with a more efficient system of blast furnaces and converters built directly into the mill. Production of new metals is expected to steadily pick up as ore mining further increases along with some experiments in the processing of lower-grade iron ores. Expansion programs outside initial plans have already started as the site practically represents a second KMA.


Sevastopol Technical Equipment Plants: The Gorky dominance on machine tooling has served to slow the production of new equipment and while standards have improved throughput, they have only served to stagnate general industry. By combining computerization in the lightest units along with a guided numerical control mill, further advanced machining methods can be produced at scale. The production involved will be expensive both in experts and the techniques involved, but the highest quality machine tools must be made at a significant scale for proper utilization. The introduction of a further sector of technical production will also provide a vector for competition, ensuring steady development. (280 Resources per Dice 89/150)

The high-tech matters of building a whole plant capable of doing delicate and precise technical work on directly computer-controlled tooling has been a consistent, if surmountable challenge. The demand for improved equipment is massive and the cursory integration done in Gorky is questionable in function and capability. New systems integrating the latest computational hardware along with improvements in control circuitry have already been developed and pushed into low-rate production but far more needs to be done. Removing the human control of operations promises to entirely revolutionize every field of manufacturing as a computer can eliminate tiresome tasks for human operators advancing society closer to one defined by intellectual labor. Expanded funding for the new plant itself is critical as Gorky on its own will not be sufficient as even the high technology division can only advance so quickly in the current state of the market.


Kuzbas Deposit Exploitation(Stage 3/5): Kuzzbass as an area of extraction offers nearly double the coals available to the Union alone when discounting the massive brown coal deposits to the north of it. Developments at this stage will focus on the exploitation of more viable surface deposits to reduce the overall costs of coal production and provide a far greater energy capacity to the Union than ever before. Work will demand a significant portion of labor and energy, but it will deliver massive gains to local wages and ensure that the Western Union can maintain the current high energy-coupled growth. (208/200 Stage 3 Complete) (8/225 Stage 4) (-22 CI3 Electricity -15 Coal +4 General Labor +1 Educated Labor)

With new machinery developed for the optimal loading of coal onto a steam of barges along with technical improvements in its transportation the development of mining has come as a logical consequence. Local haulage of coal towards production sites in the West still effectively increases the price of lower-grade black coals by a third but having coal is an infinitely preferable condition to not having it. Anthracitic coals have been prioritized for transportation while lower-grade coals have preferentially gone to local industries providing a previously impossible degree of price reduction across all energy-using sectors. Continued work on the deposit will favor digging at seams deeper into the rock but techniques pioneered in the Donbas can be easily adapted towards easier seams.


Bryansk Truck Plant: Lighter-end trucks that are built in the conventional scheme are still necessary for some of the worst roads in the Union. Building a dedicated facility for the mass production of heavier-duty trucks without a detachable trailer and for lighter loadings can help to serve more remote communities. Technical work with these trucks is effectively deriving from previous work towards army systems, allowing some collaboration in design and growth in mobilization capacity while building out civilian fleets. A unified six-wheel chassis will allow for improvements and the absolute oldest examples still in service to be finally retired from all roles. (209/150) (Complete) (-16 CI3 Electricity +3 Steel +3 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (+60 RpY)

The finalization of next-generation truck production has come with some partial lessons learned in plant design from external examples. Line simplification and balancing have been improved through the use of more flexible systems of demand to optimize labor flow. Several newer devices for manipulating the frames have further been integrated to reduce the use of general labor. The actual truck model is effectively a built-out 4x4 suspension paired with a high-torque diesel and a partial ladder frame for more efficient construction. Taking advantage of the design, an alternative van body model is expected to be sold concurrently, further improving efficiency.

BAZ-4280 A Revolution in Transportation: A new medium van and pickup have been released from the new Bryansk plant, bringing in the best features from all previous automotive designs. A lightweight 2.4L engine lets the vehicle reach more than one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour using the most advanced gearbox yet developed with both a four and five-gear version for sale. Cargo loadings have significantly increased from all previous light truck designs with the suspension of both models capable of transporting two tons on a reasonable paved surface. Handling is good even fully loaded, owing to the 4x4 transmission and the newest tires. -Pionerskaya Pravda


Rocketry

Jovian Programs: Jupiter represents the next most reachable frontier of interplanetary exploration and one for which the foundation has already been established. Long-duration Mars probes will form a basis for whatever general probe bus is sent out, with the limitations of a longer journey. Developing the electronics will be challenging along with a sufficient degree of signal infrastructure, but everything that is built for the program can work for any other outer system program. With current techniques flybys of Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto could be conducted, but more reliable and heavier interplanetary launches are going to be required for landings. (-5 RpY) (Effectively Combined with Outer System Probes) (41)

Initial programs for probes to the Jovian system and the moons have focused on the modernization of a conventional Mars bus with enhanced redundancy and significantly improved systems. Launch mass limitations restrict what can be done, but the systems involved are all proven and acceptably reliable. The program itself calls for a series of six flybys of the Galilean moons with each launch launched with a backup in case of primary failure in route. The probes are expected to return a wealth of images and atmospheric information from each moon, pioneering going further than humanity has ever gone before. Further, technical evaluations of the program are expected to directly contribute to second-generation systems that are expected to be flown on future programs, providing a far sounder technical basis.


Outer System Probes: Saturn and the outer planets represent a massive jump in sophistication and capability, both of launch vehicles and probes. The development of better hardware is continuously underway with reliability and capability increasing rapidly, but even then these missions are inherently risky. There exists effectively a single launch window where a Jupiter gravity assist can be utilized, necessitating either the bulk sending of probes in a parking orbit or ensuring that the hardware will work. A theoretical nuclear stage will allow for craft to be sent with minimal gravity assists, but that represents several development challenges. (13)

The limitations of a Jupiter gravity assist have limited the entire program to a narrow belt of launch windows with few backups. Three obvious trajectories are available for the utilization of Jupiter's gravity with two capable of conducting a Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto mission before the end of the next decade and two that can conduct a flyby of all of the gas giants. A single universal long-duration bus will still easily be able to fulfill all of the missions but the technical reliability of such a system remains heavily questionable. Optimistically any of the launches will have to stay operational for a decade after experiencing strong radiation from both the Sun and later Jupiter. The program itself further has a question of how many launches to conduct as the massive requirements for orbital stages severely limit what can be launched.

[]Grand Tour: Launching a mission into just the small window between August and September 1977 presents the best prospect for several moon flybys along with a tour of each of the gas Giants. Easy gravity assists are expected on the trajectory with a rapid-fire launch of four probes expected, two placed on each RLA-3 with an improved hydrogen interplanetary stage. The probes themselves will represent the height of technical achievement and require significant programs to improve reliability. (15 RpY Program) (5 RpY after 1977)

[]Staggered Launches: Instead of going for a tour of the outer gas giants the program can instead focus on sending a four-probe cascade to tour through the moons of Jupiter and Saturn with an end goal of a Pluto encounter. Sub 200000km encounters of Ganymede, Io, Almalthea, Europea, Titan, and Elapeatus will be the primary goal of the project, as Pluto is more of a secondary objective allowing a comprehensive tour of the moons. Initial launches will only tour the inner gas giants and Pluto, launching in the July and August of 1976 window. Continuing on the program, a tour of the outer gas giants will be launched in the October to November window in 1979 allowing the lessons learned to be incorporated. (15 RpY Program) (5 RpY after 1979)

[]Full Surveys: The possibility of launching single heavy systems with the capability to aerobrake represents a massive leap in surveying capability and one that can be used to adequately map entire planetary systems. A cascade of six probes will be launched in six RLA-3s necessitating a considerable infrastructure expansion to maintain the launch pace. These probes will be expected to aerobrake in the atmospheres of their respective gas giants working off technology from the Jupiter program. One set is expected to go to Saturn to map moons across several planes and for close encounters with the Rings. One set is destined for Neptune and another for Uranus, providing a wealth of information in exploring the outer solar system. (20 RpY Program) (5 RpY after 1979)


Light and Chemical Industry

Caspian Sea Petrochemical Extraction(Stage 1/2): The massive gas fields under the Caspian that have been discovered represent some of the most important gas fields available to us. Developing seagoing rigs and underwater extraction will take considerable technical funding, but the petroleum industry is ready to solve the issues involved in gas extraction. Local oil yields are also expected to be significant, as the fields are practically perfect for extraction, deriving a massive quantity of fuel products to stabilize the economy and start plans for the export of bulk cheap gas. (145/100 Stage 1 Complete) (45/150 Stage 2) (-24 CI5 Electricity -6 Petroleum Fuels +1 General Labor) (+60 RpY)

The first domestically developed semi-submersible oil rig and its associated equipment have been produced with significant cooperation from external sources. The technologies involved have been problematic and required several advisors to be hired, but they have been built at scale. Further rigs in the same model have gone across the entire sea with a focus on increasing gas and petroleum extraction of the practically untouched deposits. Work towards improving yields and techniques for underwater drilling is expected to take time as the work is already technical in the extreme. Domestic programs have already started working on a further generation of extraction equipment, reducing costs and allowing deeper deposits to be utilized.


Samotor Field Development(Stage 1/3): A discovery past the Urals has found a field with more oil in place than any other discovered field. Moving towards high throughput utilization of the field is going to be necessary to keep domestic energy prices low and ensure consistent access to oil and gas. Local deposits are biased towards medium-density oils, but even those can be used at a high rate without many technical issues. Outside of the location, the deposit itself is conventional and can enable local refinement of fuels without significant issues. (237/100 Stage 1 Completed) (137/100 Stage 2 Completed) (37/125 Stage 3) (-41 CI3 Electricity -13 Petroleum Fuels +2 General Labor) (+110 RpY)

With the current oil crisis serving as the necessary excuse massive funding and development assets have been shifted to strike at discovered deposits. The foundation of new towns along with a massive rush for increasing petroleum yields have strained manufacturing but allowed for considerable expansion in extraction. Drilling of the deposit is only expected to accelerate as more oil is tapped as estimations of the deposit's sheer scale are optimistic for the length of viable extraction. Coordinated efforts across several ministries and a drive towards providing high-quality high-paying oil jobs have enabled thousands of workers to make the move east, further increasing petrochemical yields. Refinery infrastructure has been expanded in cooperation to further boost yields, continuing an essential ramp-up in productivity.


Consumer Goods Production Grants(Stage 1/3): Mobilizing enterprises to get off their asses and get into the consumer-export sector has met with some success under Voznesensky, but policies can be pushed far further. Directly offering investments to proven enterprises to improve production is a reliable way of increasing production and will encourage involvement in the general economy. This is technically operating through a similar mechanism as some of the corruption under Voznesensky, but it can be done through ostensibly clean methods and can serve to increase production. Nothing stops managers from actually following the law, and by rewarding good actors a carrot can be offered along with the stick. (187/125) (62/150 Stage 2) (-18 CI3 Electricity +6 General Labor) (+40 RpY)

Direct transfers of funding have followed programs for enterprises and businesses to relocate high-employment manufacturing to republics with different wage systems. The lowered expectations for payment and generally lower cost of living have led to a massive degree of internal relocation of enterprises as new plants have preferentially been constructed there. Further work towards encouraging the movement and shifting money towards local investment has enabled a massive increase in employment through the establishment of tens of thousands of immediate jobs along with further economically synergistic effects. Employment in manufacturing is expected to provide money towards communities allowing for further investment in the economy as money is spent through increased employment.


Agriculture

Increasing Mechanization: Tractors and their attachments are needed now more than ever as field sizes per laborer have grown as quickly as production has. Work towards ensuring that manual labor is finally eliminated from common-form crops must be continued to mobilize the average worker and ensure that development can continue. A modern tractor is worth more than an agricultural laborer and every small farmer should have a basic mechanical understanding of their machines along with the machine itself. Forming a large educational program offering discounts and subsidies for the purchases of equipment for family farms can serve to improve mechanization without much risk. (100 Resources per Dice 161/200)

Grants for providing small farmers with tractors have been bitterly fought, but older models predominate the sector and a few upgrades wastefully handed out to larger enterprises is a small price to pay. Limiting the distribution of equipment to a few per farm has allowed a rapid increase in mechanized capacity and farm sizes tilled per work hour, further accelerating agricultural development. This has provided a direct boost to the domestic enterprises manufacturing tractors by subsidizing their purchase, especially for entry-level models. Mechanization of the farms itself is far from complete and will not be finished with the current grant program, but it does provide a basis for further accelerating the reduction of agricultural labor.


Agricultural Grants: Freeing money in the form of effectively low-interest loans to farmers has been a step, but further work can be done by providing money for modernization. Farms that are transitioning from the most primitive means of production can receive a set of one-time grants for the purchase of new equipment and the construction of new facilities. By putting the initiative in the hands of smaller farmers and limiting quantities purchased, most state farms can be worked around, allowing the money to be most efficiently spent. (189/100) (Completed) (+2 Petroleum Fuels)

Direct money for the construction of new farm facilities for small farms has practically immediately been utilized for further investment into agriculture. Thousands of new barns and structures have been funded with further work towards improving the agricultural economic system. The majority of funds have gone towards secondary equipment rather than the initial expectations for the funding program. Farmer trucks and vehicles have been a major factor in improving yields brought to market and reducing primary wastage at the production source. Further work is still going to be needed outside the scope of the initially funded five-year program, but as an initial step, it is more than adequate.


Universalization of the Food Program: Subsidies of end-consumption food for every Soviet worker is one thing, but they can easily be taken a step further. Working with the agricultural committees in the Supreme Soviet a new standard for children's nutrition can be pushed through, improving protein content and further eliminating malnutrition. Through committed funding every school can provide two meals a day to students for no cost to families, educational outcomes and participation are expected to improve. For schools operating in two shifts, the lunch meal will have to be separated, but this can still be accomplished with current facilities. (204/175) (Completed)

Moving a broadly supported motion to improve children's nutrition by eliminating meal prices for at least two meals a day through the school system promises to significantly increase childhood achievement and nutrition. For students going to schools in the morning rotation breakfast and lunch is effectively free. For students going into the evening rotation lunch and dinner are instead provided to minimize the overall load on the cafeteria system. Changes in nutritional allotments have also proceeded through the modernization of general cuisine, incorporating standard meals including locally produced milk, chicken, and fish to improve protein access.


Services

Transportation Enterprises(Stage 2/5): Continued increases in the distribution of labor and the development of transport is a core goal of the current plan. Committing more funding towards improving truck numbers along with driver training programs for ever larger trucks already promises to deliver significant economic returns as the economy recovers and infrastructure improvements are utilized. Most of the trucking industry is still decentralized and small, but that can be addressed through funding. Reliable and large state trucking enterprises can continue to improve transportation and significantly reduce burdens on all businesses. (182/175) (7/200 Stage 3) (+1 Petroleum Fuels +1 General Labor) (Stage 3 Max until Central Asian high capacity roads completed)

Increases in truck production have more than been consumed through increasing demand for road-based haulage. New roads are still far from adequately utilized due to the high price of domestic trucks and the issues in importing significant quantities of foreign ones. Programs for establishing state enterprises to increase haulage have gone forward with a mix of imported vehicles from CMEA and local examples as domestic production is still rapidly climbing. Large bulk haulers made for transiting paved roads have only recently started large-scale production and far more are needed to keep up the pace of transportation modernization to adequately serve the economy.


Expanding State Catalogs: Selling a series of single good categories that are considered to be universal for a given set of things makes perfect sense in a vacuum. However, when it becomes a question of furniture, styling, and appliances it becomes deeply suboptimal. The losses from holding several products in inventory are expected to be comparatively minor as direct orders from factories are easily viable on the scale of the catalog system as it is unlikely for most goods to experience a massive localized spike in consumption. Expanding warehouses and the variety sold over the phone can serve to improve access for effectively almost no cost. (183/150) (Completed)

Storage and logistical capacity have been the primary limitation on mail orders for bulky goods but that has been steadily fixed with the continued development of roads and transportation mechanisms. The massive expansion of storage has enabled far more goods that are rapidly consumed to be stored at a set level of inventory in several warehouses with prompt delivery within a week now expected for most common items in a city. This has been combined with catalogs focusing on items that can be shipped quickly over those that take time, with monthly ones made to focus on available local inventories. Some wastage is still expected but it is more than compensated by the fees for using the service.


Universal Distribution Systems: Getting a series of standard warehouse stores into more remote locations is going to be a challenging endeavor but one that is entirely worth it. Enterprises responsible for direct bulk sales to the average worker and to small businesses have consistently proven popular and there is little reason not to expand the program to every corner of the Union. Walking accessibility may be questionable, but given the expansion of mass transit and busing, it should be possible to ensure ease of accessibility towards most medium-sized and bulk goods. (386/250) (Completed) (-9CI1 Electricity +3 General Labor)

Shifting out the remote delivery network pioneered in state catalogs to the most distant towns in their entirety is not practical. Small local warehouses have been built near rail hubs as distribution points to allow for some items to be delivered quickly but the majority of large items are still expected to be shipped in from more distant areas. Some inventory integration along with the centralization of supply points has allowed for a semblance of rapid transportation within two weeks but that is about the best that could be done. That alone has necessitated the massive expansion of trucking and light transportation as the mail system is only barely equipped for the intensity of use. New light truck plants are expected to fix some of the deficiencies but it will take time for them to truly proliferate.


Universalization of Telephone Networking: The telephone has revolutionized business and commerce but it has still only partially spread into the private sector. By funding a large program of telephone integration and unifying standards overall utilization can massively increase to improve private sector performance. Nowadays as more deals are conducted over the phone instead of in person telephones are an essential good for any business, making their availability essential for ensuring growth in less infrastructurally fortunate areas. (225/175) (Completed) (-16CI1 Electricity)

Increasing the extent and density of the telephone network to enable non-economical applications has been a major challenge but one the Union has more than met. A focus on increasing the scale of networking has come with several benefits in that calls have steadily become more common. Population utilization of phone lines is still slow compared to the extent built out but that is more of a question of expenses and questionable need rather than limitations in the network. Over the next decade, it is expected that almost all homes will have some form of domestic phone outside the most remote areas. Further funding to reinforce the network will likely be necessary by then, but for now, the capacity is more than sufficient.


State Insurance Enterprises: Letting the state get involved in insurance distribution rather than the private sector can significantly help to reduce profit chasing and offer a steady minimal policy rather than wild variance. Across several important and high-risk industries, a general insurance scheme conducted through state-owned non-profit-seeking enterprises can be made to shoulder the worst risks, allowing businesses and enterprises to turn to the state for a comprehensive minimal plan. Assessment of risks will require the hiring of expertise and significant training programs, but there is no reason that the Union cannot have a domestic insurance industry. (120 Resources per Dice 67/200)

Initial funding for building the offices and coordinating the large number of administrators necessary for the expansion of insurance services has come slowly. Funding has been allocated with much of it going towards the expansion of office space necessary for the establishment of new enterprises. Leadership for them has effectively been pulled from smaller enterprises, consolidating clients and providing considerably increased funding to allow for the steady expansion of the sector. Plans already call for the near full integration of the industry, allowing farms and buildings to be insured against rapid loss, improving economic and investment confidence considerably.


Solving the Garbage Problem: The garbage problem has only worsened over the last plan as consumption has skyrocketed without much expansion to the processing industry. Finalizing a break away from old policies, incineration plants can be massively scaled up along with more land designated for the economic disposal of trash. Filtering plants are expected to be established to screen out valuable metallic scraps, ensuring that a maximum degree of value is recovered from every ton of bulk garbage. (246/200) (Completed) (+14CI2 Electricity +2 General Labor)

Increasing combustion and landfill capacity has been constructed late and only marginally in conformity with the steady gains in the production of new garbage. The plastics industry has more than doubled in the last decade with further rapid growth proceeding from every sector. Gains in the consumption of general goods have also been rapid as the recently built consumer sector has significantly increased the rate of production of all domestic goods, with many effectively dumped into the nearest landfill without sorting or processing after use. The commitment of dedicated space towards landfills has improved the situation but far more needs to be done to entirely close the productive cycle.


Bureaucracy

Emergency Commission on CMEA: Uncontrolled strike actions in Poland from increasing the price of fuel along with broader destabilization of energy supplies have significantly affected the general state of CMEA. Work towards improving oil yields is underway but it must be conducted at a rapid pace to maintain current security commitments without excessive problems. Imports of oil and general petrochemicals from the Middle East pose a massive security risk both nationally and in the wider block. Current programs for security assistance in Eastern Europe are expected to be essential to provide a political buffer for any significant problems. (87) (Supreme Soviet)

Callups of security forces have so far proven to not be necessary despite the strong push for them. A combination of economic programs towards improving petrochemical production along with favorable terms for the export of oil has stabilized the situation with a minimal degree of unrest. Security assistance programs have also significantly increased with the mass export of recently modernized military hardware authorized to improve the state's defense against both revisionism and capitalist-driven unrest. Current commitments have seen the distribution of older and lighter systems to internal security forces in large quantities as the Red Army modernizes, providing a stabilizing factor relative to the average agitator.


Centralization of Worker-Authority: Enforcing the laws on the books remains a semi-open question of state authority against that of the enterprises. Focusing on working towards expanding the power of the state can significantly limit labor abuses and improve productivity. The laws on safe work environments and labor hours are still not enforced but through new parallel structures, they can be. The usual enterprises will declare it to be a case of the end of productivity but that is going to be typical. If they wish to produce more, they can simply employ more workers or improve the efficacy of production. (58) (Supreme Soviet)

Romanov and to a lesser extent Kosygin have effectively led the charge for ensuring that the Ministry of Labor continues to enforce the law as it is rather than as a fantastical concept inside the heads of a few enterprise managers. Problems with work conditions are now reported up and cracked down upon as the enterprise managers are responsible for ensuring that conditions are at least adequate. Further investigations into unpaid and excessive hours have already secured significant gains for the average worker with results published publicly. Further work towards reducing the power of enterprises to modify worker conditions arbitrarily has already started with an end goal of eliminating significant breaches of contract and empowering the average worker to sue any larger enterprise. Some of the liberals are expected to split from the line, but credit for the popular measure has effectively entirely fallen towards Romanov.


Locate a Deputy: Abramov's push towards putting a toadie into the ministry has failed, but that does still leave the fact that there is no deputy. A slew of acceptable candidates can be pushed to the Supreme Soviet and backed by Romanov, ensuring that at least one of them can pass. It technically will not be a case of someone ideal getting appointed, but any dozen of mostly agreeable and capable personnel can take the role after some training and experience. Delegating out further work is expected to significantly improve what can be done especially in preparations for a handover. (3)

The expected viable candidates for a deputy have proven to be far more problematic than expected as with the downfall of Abramov the reputation of the ministry has been questionable. Further work towards identifying viable candidates has gone forward with some from local party posts willing to take on the thankless task, but it is still considered to be a mostly thankless politically risky post. There is of course no shortage of sycophants seeking power for the sake of expanding their power, but they cannot be voted in, much less trusted with a single project. The only remaining promotions effectively come from the students who are too inexperienced and politically unconnected to reasonably hold the post.

[]Alexander Fedorovich Kamenev: Rising in prominence from being tracked with directing a wide stretch of road projects in unconventional areas, Kamenev has proven himself adept at the task. He represents one of the few outspoken advocates for the modernization of construction techniques along with increased deployments of heavy machinery to aid in construction. He has proven at least capable of directing large-scale distributed construction projects and can effectively be used towards whatever enlarged housing or roads project is undertaken by the ministry. His excessive youth is going to pose a problem towards an actual succession, but given time and experience that should be overcome. (+2 Infra Actions)

[]Stepan Ivanovich Chistoplyasov: Graduating and defending his candidature in agriculture before large-scale expansions he was immediately tasked with raising grain production in the Altai. Continued work and pioneering improvements through the cultivation of dwarf wheat along with taking advantage of the shorter growing seasons have already yielded considerable results. Chistoplyasov is frankly an over-promoted youth well in over his head but he has managed good results on projects of moderate scale and has a knack for leadership. It's almost guaranteed that he will conflict with the agricultural department, but getting involved in lower-risk politics will provide some experience. (+2 Agricultural Dice)

[]Yuri Nikiforovich Elchenko: A committed politician who was to defend his dissertation in mechanical engineering but was transferred towards the production of more important projects. One of the personnel involved in the automotive industry he has pushed for further improvements in manufacturing and line integration. As his policies have improved production and found some basis in reality this has led to his rapid promotion up the chain. He remains one of the younger candidates for consideration and without much of a technical base, but he can at least be trusted for the construction of new factories. (+2 Heavy Industry Dice)

[]Vladimir Fedorovich Balakirev: Rising from consulting for the technical development of Sverdlovsk, Balakriev has held a significant technical if not notably political post. He graduated as a chemical engineer and immediately moved toward state advisory bodies, providing some experience in higher-level management. Effectively one of the personnel who has pushed the oil industry and significantly developed the local plastic sector his economic contributions are unquestionable. Continued work will almost certainly focus on the stabilization of the petrochemical industry making him a capable candidate for promotion given that the majority of growth is expected to occur in the same region. (+2 LCI Dice this plan, +2 Chemical Industry dice next plan)

[]Nukh Aslancherievich Berzegov: Rapidly pushed through economic schools and defended a dissertation on the previous economic crisis, Berzegov remains the ostensibly most qualified from a theoretical perspective. His managerial expertise remains almost entirely unknown as he is nearly a pure academic who rose through the educational program rather than a political one. His own achievements and direct relevant publications will provide a good flexible advisory basis for policies along with a better high-level approach. Furthermore, by keeping Berzegov in an advisory role he can more readily incorporate into the center improving the odds he can hold onto the ministry. (+1 Free Dice)


Electrification Drives: Committing unerringly towards the electrification of industry to correspond with further modernization can deliver massive returns and enable the use of more viable energy sources. Many production methods will have to be steadily changed to the use of electricity rather than direct fuel sources, with tentative programs made towards the evaluation of electrified rail and further options for transit. Current petroleum price increases must be responded to in the long term and any elimination of oil is an increase in energy independence of the Union. (21)

Plans have been put forward for the electrification of rail systems and the conversion of several industries towards the utilization of electric power for direct heating. The process itself has been driven by a steady increase in the price of combustibles as even with modernizations in the coal process prices are still expected to increase by almost thirty percent once Western deposits are depleted. The primary goal of the program is a focus on increasing the electrification of industry as it is broadly seen as the lowest bar for significant modernization. Politically the project has become a focused program of improving national sovereignty and control of energy supplies to prevent anything approaching a new energy crisis, setting a near mandate towards energy independence.


Break Private Land Limits: Defining family farms and other types of farming by the quantity of land under tillage is easy to assess, but we have developed past that. Land taxes can be maintained, but shifted towards a categorization on a degree of employment. If a farm can efficiently manage with few employees and deliver good yields there need to be incentives for that. Encouraging the development of true family farms and larger-scale small initiatives can help to keep efficiency competitive without major issues. (73)

The primary margin of family farming has been strictly defined around farms that do not employ additional labor outside of harvest seasons. If planting can be conducted by a single family it is defined for tax purposes as a family farm with several advantages towards maximum taxation. Private sector farming has seen land limits loosened to encourage a wider spread of production with tax burden directly judged by production rather than land use. This has opened large tracts of the meat industry to the private sector along with farming outside the most intensive practices, reducing net tax burdens on the majority of small farmers.


Reorganize a Department(Services): There still exists massive bureaucratic holes in the apparatus between the limitations in the heavy industrial sector and the pile of idiots left from previous struggles. The current head of services is effectively useless for making forward progress and there is not a shortage of important but replaceable idiots. While the Union is in the throughs of massive reorganization the chance can be taken to put in more appropriate ministers for a plan. (77)

Reorganization of Services has never been more essential especially when the ministry is expected to diversify its approach towards other sectors of the economy. Immediate work towards finding a replacement secretary has effectively been concluded with the promotion of Lydia Sokhan from deputy. She's neither the most competent nor the most ambitious but she proved capable of handling herself in the most critical moments of the current plan. The deputy remains a far more open question as several possible candidates can be pushed to the position with a wide range of experience in the social sciences. Rather than moving up a specialized worker in the profession, a more general sociologist can serve to adequately meet needs and avoid any previous excesses.

[]Alexey Ivanovich Krylov: Graduating through the Leningrad University system as a sociologist focusing on problems of under-addressed populations and means of addressing them Krylov is well suited to the post. He has little experience in managing outside of the laboratory level but he is more than able to fulfil the role of a deputy minister. It is almost certain that the majority of projects proposed by him will be centered around the distribution of population services to an excessive degree, but that can help to build up government popularity all the same.

[]Nikolay Fedorovich Tatarchuk: Moving up from the agricultural program and to a wider extent the food program Tatarchuk has an unconventional basis for the post, but an adequate one given the problems of serving the countryside. Conventional approaches have worked adequately for centralized areas but movement into the countryside has persistently been limited both by political limitations and a lack of applicable experience. The countryside is inherently far less dense, necessitating a different focus and a different base of experience. Further, he has some experience managing ministry programs, if in a slightly different area than conventional.

[]Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev: An MSU graduate who rose in the legal service with the massive expansion of public trials, presiding over several cases in the Saratov legal circuit. He has a degree of experience in working for general legal programs involved with case law along with a sufficient degree of party backing. Moving Gorbachev will involve necessary movements towards reforming the legal system as he is convinced that it has areas of unfairness towards those without the ability to hire good representation. The previous expansion of the legal program has proven popular and a judge of a regional circuit should have the base managerial experience to ease into a ministry post.


24 Hour Moratorium

 

[General_Urist]

Centralization of Worker-Authority: Enforcing the laws on the books remains a semi-open question of state authority against that of the enterprises. Focusing on working towards expanding the power of the state can significantly limit labor abuses and improve productivity. The laws on safe work environments and labor hours are still not enforced but through new parallel structures, they can be. The usual enterprises will declare it to be a case of the end of productivity but that is going to be typical. If they wish to produce more, they can simply employ more workers or improve the efficacy of production. (58) (Supreme Soviet)

Romanov and to a lesser extent Kosygin have effectively led the charge for ensuring that the Ministry of Labor continues to enforce the law as it is rather than as a fantastical concept inside the heads of a few enterprise managers. Problems with work conditions are now reported up and cracked down upon as the enterprise managers are responsible for ensuring that conditions are at least adequate. Further investigations into unpaid and excessive hours have already secured significant gains for the average worker with results published publicly. Further work towards reducing the power of enterprises to modify worker conditions arbitrarily has already started with an end goal of eliminating significant breaches of contract and empowering the average worker to sue any larger enterprise. Some of the liberals are expected to split from the line, but credit for the popular measure has effectively entirely fallen towards Romanov.

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Not quite all power to the soviets but still pretty good. One big reason I'm in favor of unions IRL is that they effectively "decentralize" enforcement of labor laws and such. Instead of workers needing to file a formal legal complaint and wait for a slow government bureaucracy to reign in the employers with low change of success even before regulatory capture is considered, they can just metaphorically threaten the CEO/managers with a baseball bat if they don't stop being exploitative asshats

(+2 LCI Dice this plan, +2 Chemical Industry dice next plan)

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Oho this is interesting. Is LCI going to get split into separate Chemical and Light industry ministries like it's done in Isot Edition? I can see the appeal, but unless there's big hiring drives so both combined have way more actions than the old LCI ministry did it's not going to improve our situation much. I hope that can be done without taking huge chunks out of our dice bonus again...

EDIT: the options for deputy don't look that bad. What's the catch?

 

[HanEmpire]

[]Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

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HOPE

 

[aeiou!]

[]Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev:

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Oh my god
Yeltsin wen

 

[Kirai]

Oho this is interesting. Is LCI going to get split into separate Chemical and Light industry ministries like it's done in Isot Edition? I can see the appeal, but unless there's big hiring drives so both combined have way more actions than the old LCI ministry did it's not going to improve our situation much. I hope that can be done without taking huge chunks out of our dice bonus again...

EDIT: the options for deputy don't look that bad. What's the catch?

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I think the split is going to be 6 CI and 4 LCI next plan, according to discord at least

 

[General_Urist]

Oh god I didn't even realize it's THE Gorbachev.

Gorby actually looks like a pretty good choice here? He has experience, and someone with a legal background would be good for keeping things on an even keel as the service sector grows (and keeping our girlboss philosopher's more out there ideas tethered to the ground).

I was tempted to go Krylov for lol sociologist clique, but given their lack of experience it might be more sociologist nepotism than an actual good choice.

 

[BritishGrenadier]

We have to vote Gorbachev in. He needs his redemption arc

 

[Kirai]

[]Nikolay Fedorovich Tatarchuk: Moving up from the agricultural program and to a wider extent the food program Tatarchuk has an unconventional basis for the post, but an adequate one given the problems of serving the countryside. Conventional approaches have worked adequately for centralized areas but movement into the countryside has persistently been limited both by political limitations and a lack of applicable experience. The countryside is inherently far less dense, necessitating a different focus and a different base of experience. Further, he has some experience managing ministry programs, if in a slightly different area than conventional.

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An interesting note according to the discord, Fedorovich is a good organizer OTL. Not sure if that's exactly being taken into consideration here, but I figured it should be pointed out.

From Crabmonarchy
Considerable attention in the study is paid to the personal qualities of Nikolai Fedorovich, which were noted by many of those who had to work with him, as well as his outstanding organizational skills. According to the author of the paper, the crowning achievement of his political career was his work as chairman of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Executive Committee of the Soviets of Working People's Deputies (1964–1983)

 

[Crazycryodude]

Well, glad the mini oil crisis was more of a wake-up call than a complete catastrophe. Not having to personally send in the tanks anywhere is a pretty good outcome, now we just need to keep energy prices where they are... I'm sure this will never be a problem again.

Re: the deputy, my first instinct is Balakirev for the +2 LCI dice. We could genuinely use the extra dice to start work on petrochemical prices as well as fuel, it's not like the petrochem sector is getting any less important over the next few decades.

The new Services deputy secretary I don't really have strong opinions on, all 3 look like perfectly good candidates. Gorbie would be extremely funny, but Tatarchuk sounds like he'd be good at the job and help continue to push the state towards admitting rurals are people. And Krylov sounds like he has fine ideas as well, maybe a little inexperienced but that's why he's a fresh deputy instead of being thrown right into decisionmaking.

 

[MSH]

[]Staggered Launches
I'd say this is the most realistic one, and it allows us to adjust for some failures instead of being stuck with doomed probes should something go wrong.

Locate a Deputy

[] Alexander Fedorovich Kamenev:

- +2 Infra Actions (not dice?)
- ROADS ROADS ROADS
- Fictional?

[] Stepan Ivanovich Chistoplyasov:

- +2 Agricultural Dice
- God help me not more ag politics
- Dwarf wheat is a big deal
- There appears to be a person by this name in the right time, but I have no details. RSFSR administration official.

[] Yuri Nikiforovich Elchenko:

- +2 Heavy Industry Dice
- CARS CARS CARS
- Meme OGAS candidate, complete with possibly being an impractical fantasy.
- Fictional?

[] Vladimir Fedorovich Balakirev:

- +2 LCI Dice this plan, +2 Chemical Industry dice next plan
- Actual Degree
- Oilman, for good or ill
- Name brings up a bunch of cold fusion nonsense

[] Nukh Aslancherievich Berzegov:

- +1 Free Dice
- Academic, for good or ill
- Actual Economist?
- Fictional?


Reorganize a Department(Services)

[] Alexey Ivanovich Krylov:

- Actual Sociologist!
- ...Actual Sociologist...
- Giving people stuff is good, actually

[] Nikolay Fedorovich Tatarchuk:

- Rural Focus REAL?
- Actual Experience
- What do you mean "unconventional"

[] Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev:

- Could that be a flicker of civil rights?
- Needs no introduction
- Surely no warning signs

And so I'm thinking...

[] Staggered Launches
[] Nukh Aslancherievich Berzegov
[] Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

 

[Kirai]

Just so you know MSH, nobody here is fictional, just obscure.

 

[VonVonson]

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Hey there gorbie, looking fresh. Like his ideas on legal reform tho

 

[MSH]

Getting everyone to at least have a lawyer available would be a major coup all by itself. There's a reason rich people like having them so much, no matter what legal system they're dealing with. It at least means there is a defensive voice other than desperate pro se flailing.

 

[Kirai]

Infra Deputy - Alexander Fedorovich Kamenev
+ experience with medium to large scale management
+/- advocates modern construction (less prison labor, more machines)
- young
- no mention of political experience or base

Useful dice, could help us avoid taking a infra focus next plan, albeit unlikely. Managerial experience is a plus, but giving him the head position seems unlikely. Klim seems to be saying that 5 years will make it more reasonable though.

Agri deputy - Stepan Ivanovich Chistoplyasov
+ medium scale management
+ leadership talent
- over promoted
- political conflict with agri department

Probably the least useful dice, would help keep some focus on agriculture, instead of going "sector fixed, time to ignore for the next decade". The conflict with our agricultural department is a problem though, especially because we don't know exactly where. I doubt it's because of personality, perhaps he supports the enterprises over the smaller farms. I think he's a really interesting pick, but not super viable.

HI deputy - Yuri Nikiforovich Elchenko
+ some technical skill
+/- Committed politician
- young
- no technical base

Also useful dice, especially as we're planning on going into Atommash. Him being a politician makes it more likely he can keep the head post, but there's only faint praise from Klim and he doesn't seem to trust him too much with projects.

LCI deputy - Vladimir Fedorovich Balakirev
+ higher level management experience
+ technical experience
+ klim seems to approve
- less political experience

Good dice for ensuring energy security, could help us avoid having to take a CI focus next plan, or supplement it if we want to go full drill baby drill. Klim seems to think highly of him and thinks his focus on energy will allow him to take the head post after Klim retires. The plus is mixed with the drawback though. A focus on securing cheap oil is good for stability. It keeps our allies stable and our own internal economy stable. However... we do want to move off of oil eventually, and this guy is unlikely to push for alternatives (whether they're feasible now or not).

Free Deputy - Nukh Aslancherievich Berzegov
+ extremely educated
- no management experience

A free dice is always useful, but I think it's weaker than almost everything else here (besides agriculture). His education seems very promising, but lack of managerial experience worries me. If it was as the deputy of a smaller ministry it could work, but as someone that we intend to take the head? That worries me.

Overall my picks would be
[]Vladimir Fedorovich Balakirev
[]Alexander Fedorovich Kamenev

 

[abominable]

Lol, history buffs swooning over popular canon character in game adaptation.

 

[MSH]

Assuming we don't screw it all up, Klim will remain in the post for many years to come, giving any of the inexperienced deputies time to grow. For that, Berzegov seems like the best one to cook. Given how terrible the deputy roll was, I have suspicions about Balakirev.

 

[Kirai]

Assuming we don't screw it all up, Klim will remain in the post for many years to come, giving any of the inexperienced deputies time to grow. For that, Berzegov seems like the best one to cook. Given how terrible the deputy roll was, I have suspicions about Balakirev.

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Also to clarify, many years will be the next plan aka 5 years. It's time to grow considering Klim's -10 to management will be removed after this plan, but it's not a lot of time.

 

[MSH]

Popular consensus so far was that Klim will try to stay indefinitely. Is there some change to this?

 

[VonVonson]

Popular consensus so far was that Klim will try to stay indefinitely. Is there some change to this?

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Basically klim wasnt supposed to last this long. He was supposed to try to stabilize things, then eat the blame for one economic crisis or another and get fired while his old patron hands him some easy gigs afterwards.

Instead his old patron got disgraced, his new patron got shot, his cushy consulting gigs are up in smoke, and he somehow managed sail through all that and come out well enough looking like a master political operator. As we've already made it past the hard part, no point in not preparing for the long haul with klim

 

[MSH]

Yes, I know. So why are you saying Klim will only remain in the post for one more plan?

 

[Blackstar]

Yes, I know. So why are you saying Klim will only remain in the post for one more plan?

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Klim himself never expected to stay in the post, he was there temporarily to basically hand it over and retire out. While he could in theory stay in for a while he's likely to just retire by the end of the next plan.