Quote Originally Posted by rockzmom View Post
I think this is the idea that my generation and my girl's generation has been raised with.
Yup. So, no sane US officer would dare to start a nuclear war having that thought in mind. (And it was broadly assumed that the US was doing the same kind of screening and testing to ensure only the sane and psychologically stable officers were in command of the strategic weapons.) If the US would not be directly attacked, the US would most likely not intervene with a very quick war in Europe. So, the USSR had never really planned to INVADE the US. (The Red Dawn was never to happen! ) The US Army was never really thought as a primary opponent (except for the limited contingent in Europe). As far as I remember, the first and foremost "possible enemy" for the Soviet Army was the Bundeswehr as the most able military opponent.