2A-Adversaries: Former Soviet Bloc (1991-2001)

The Cold War was a major influence in my decision to serve in the US Armed Forces. I did not anticipate that the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the collapse of the USSR would occur early in my military career.

East Germany had already been working on German reunification since 1989; they formally left the Warsaw Pact and became part of Germany (and a NATO member) in 1990. In early 1991, the Warsaw Pact was declared at an end, and later that year the USSR also dissolved. Czechia, Hungary, and Poland became NATO members in 1999.

The breakup of the USSR had an impact in Southwest Asia as well. Following a decade-long military intervention, Russian support of the government of Afghanistan ended in 1991. Immediately afterward, several anti-government factions fought for control of the country, ending in Taliban rule by 1996.

This collection includes aircraft from former Soviet Bloc states. In the 1980s, these weapons were state-of-the-art threats to the US. During my military service in the 1990s, military cooperation with newly independent nations significantly improved US understanding of former Soviet technology and tactics.