Weekly Intelligence Review (WIR) 13/68, 29 March 1968

This document is the Weekly Intelligence Review (WIR) 13/68, issued by the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) on March 29, 1968. The review provides a comprehensive assessment of Soviet military and space capabilities during a period of shifting strategic priorities. A significant portion of the document is dedicated to analyzing Soviet military spending, which the report notes has risen sharply since 1966 under the Brezhnev-Kosygin leadership. The assessment suggests that this increased spending is driven by a desire to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent, strengthen theater forces near China, and support naval operations in the Mediterranean. The report highlights that the Soviet leadership has prioritized military investment over civilian industrial growth, a trade-off that has caused internal controversy.

In the realm of space, the document details the launch of Cosmos 208, a military reconnaissance satellite, and Cosmos 209, which is identified as a test of a spacecraft-maneuvering system. The report speculates that Cosmos 209, likely launched by an SL-13 system using an SS-9 booster, may be intended for future military missions such as satellite interception or inspection. Furthermore, the document discusses the Soviet lunar program, noting that after a lull in 1967, the Soviets appear to be resuming their efforts to land a man on the moon. The report mentions the failure of a lunar probe in February 1968 and the launch of Zond 4 in March 1968, which was likely a test of re-entry capabilities for Soyuz-type spacecraft. The document concludes with projections for future lunar missions, including the potential for unmanned circumlunar flights and the eventual goal of a manned flight later in the year. The review is marked as Secret and contains several charts illustrating Soviet military and space expenditure trends from 1952 to 1967.