Nikolai Ogarkov
Nikolai Vasilyevich Ogarkov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 October 1917 Molokovo village, Tver Governorate, Russian SFSR |
| Died | 1994-01-23 |
| Occupation | Soviet military officer |
| Years active | 1938–1984 |
| Known for | Chief of the General Staff of the USSR (1977–1984), Marshal of the Soviet Union |
Template:Infobox military person
Nikolai Vasilyevich Ogarkov (Russian: Николай Васильевич Огарков; born 30 October 1917 – died 23 January 1994) was a distinguished figure within the Soviet military establishment. Elevated to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1977, he served as the Chief of the General Staff of the USSR from 1977 until 1984. Ogarkov gained international recognition in Western countries as the official representative for the Soviet armed forces following the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 near Moneron Island in September 1983. His tenure as Chief of the General Staff concluded with his removal on 6 September 1984.[1]
Early life
Born into a peasant family on 30 October 1917 in Molokovo village, located within Tver Governorate, Ogarkov spent his formative years in rural Russia. At age 14, after relocating to the Soviet Far East in 1931—where his older brother had fulfilled military duties—he began working independently as an apprentice at a closed military cooperative.[2]
In April 1933, Ogarkov returned to his native region and spent approximately eighteen months employed as an accountant and secretary for the district trade union council. The following year, he moved to the Moscow area to attend a workers' faculty specializing in energy industry studies located in Kudinovo village. Subsequently, he pursued higher education at the V.V.Kuibyshev Moscow Civil Engineering Institute. Alongside his academic endeavors, he continued working in roles such as accountant and trade union council secretary.[2]
Military career
Ogarkov enlisted in the Red Army in 1938 and completed his training at the Astrakhan Rifle and Machinegun School. In 1941, he graduated from the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy, earning the rank of Military Engineer 3rd Rank.
World War II
After Operation Barbarossa commenced in 1941, Ogarkov was assigned as a regimental engineer to the construction of defensive fortifications near the Łomża area within the 1st Infantry Regiment of the 17th Infantry Division on the Western Front.[3]
Between October 1941 and February 1942, he held the position of Senior Fortification Engineer within the 2nd Department of the Karelian Front's engineering division. Subsequently, from February 1942, he served as Regimental Engineer for a Rifle Regiment in the 289th Rifle Division.
In June 1942, Ogarkov was appointed Brigade Engineer for the 61st Naval Rifle Brigades. By December that year, he became assistant to the chief of staff for Engineering Troops of the 32nd Army. In August 1943, his duties shifted to assistant chief of the Operational Department within the Engineering Troops Headquarters of the Karelian Front. From May 1944 onward, he acted as Division Engineer for the 122nd Rifle Division stationed in Karelia. In November 1943, Ogarkov was transferred to serve on both the 2nd Ukrainian and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. Throughout World War II, he took part in key battles including defending Karelia, as well as participating in the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk, Petsamo-Kirkenes, Budapest, and Vienna offensive. In recognition of his service, he received the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, in October 1944.[4]
On April 11, 1945, while leading a sapper unit during combat operations, Ogarkov sustained injuries and spent the remainder of the war hospitalized. He rejoined his division in July but was reassigned three months later due to its disbandment. Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Ogarkov was named assistant chief of staff for Engineering Troops within the 27th Army of the Carpathian Military District. That same year, he became a member of the Communist Party of Soviet Union.[5]
Post war
In 1947, Ogarkov completed further studies at the Kuibyshev Military Academy for Engineer Troops and later graduated from the General Staff Military Academy in 1959. Between 1945 and 1946, he served as assistant and senior assistant to the chief of staff for Engineering Troops within the Carpathian Military District. From 1947 to 1948, he held the post of deputy head of the Engineering Directorate under the Commander-in-Chief's staff of the Primorsky Military District. His outstanding performance during various assignments caught the attention of district commander Rodion Malinovsky, who played a significant role in advancing his career.[6]
In September 1948, he was promoted to senior officer of a department and by January 1949 became chief of a directorate department within the Far East Commander's staff. From 1949 until 1953, Ogarkov led operational management and was elevated to colonel on September 4, 1950. Beginning in 1953, he served as deputy chief and then from 1955 as head of this leadership section while also acting as deputy chief of staff for the Far Eastern Military District. On July 11, 1957, he attained the rank of major general. That year, he enrolled at the Military Academy of the General Staff, graduating in 1959. Following this achievement, Ogarkov commanded the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division stationed with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany at Grimma in East Germany from 1959 to 1961. In December 1961, he was appointed chief of staff and deputy commander for the Belarusian Military District.[7]
In December 1965, Ogarkov assumed command over the Volga Military District. By April 1968, he advanced to become first Deputy Chief of the General Staff for all Soviet Armed Forces. He was a candidate member on the CPSU Central Committee between 1966 and 1971 before serving as a full member from 1971 until its dissolution in 1991. Additionally, from 1966 through to 1989 (7th to 11th convocations), he represented Lithuania in the Soviet of Nationalities within the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Between March 1974 and January 1977, Ogarkov held roles as Deputy Minister of Defense, chairman of the State Technical Commission, and member of the Ministry of Defense Collegium.[8]
On January 8, 1977, General Ogarkov was appointed Chief of General Staff for Soviet Armed Forces as well as first Deputy Minister of Defense. Shortly after, on January 14, he received promotion to Marshal of the Soviet Union. Throughout that decade, he played a pivotal role in formulating mutually acceptable proposals during negotiations related to Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).[9]
Ogarkov was notably an outspoken critic regarding Soviet intervention in Afghanistan beginning in 1979. This stance led to intense disagreements with Politburo member and then Minister of Defence Dmitry Ustinov. As Chief of General Staff, Ogarkov did not hesitate to challenge Ustinov on numerous matters including military strategy and weapons development.[9]
On September 1, 1983, during a flight from New York City to Seoul, South Korea with a scheduled stopover in Anchorage, Alaska aboard Korean Air Lines Flight 007—a Boeing model carrying a total of 269 people—the aircraft was shot down near Moneron Island by Soviet Air Force fighters after it inadvertently entered restricted Soviet airspace. Tragically all passengers and crew perished. Ogarkov appeared publicly as spokesperson for Soviet military authorities regarding this incident where he justified ordering destruction of the plane stating it was "not an accident or an error" but rather a decision made by local command under suspicion that it was conducting reconnaissance.[10][11]
The transformation in military strategy
Ogarkov was a prominent proponent of downsizing the vast and cumbersome Soviet military apparatus into a more agile, technologically advanced strike force. In a frank discussion with an American journalist in 1982, he acknowledged:
"Our technology lags behind the United States by one or two generations. In your country, even children have access to computers, whereas we lack them in many Defense Ministry offices. Due to well-known reasons, computer availability within our society is limited. Economic reforms are urgently needed, but they will likely bring political changes as well."
This level of candor sharply contrasted with the anti-American stance he adopted following the KAL-007 incident. Beyond Ogarkov’s conviction that profound reforms were necessary for the Soviet socioeconomic system, he clashed with military leaders who favored conventional World War II-style combat doctrines. In a 1984 article published in the army newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, Ogarkov articulated his proposals for modernizing the Soviet armed forces.
Throughout his tenure as head of the Soviet General Staff, Ogarkov orchestrated and oversaw some of the most extensive operational-strategic exercises ever conducted by the Soviet Armed Forces across all principal strategic theaters and involving every branch of the Soviet Armed Forces, along with military scientific and industrial institutions. The largest among these was the operational-strategic drill known as Exercise Zapad-81, held in September 1981. Its scale was only rivaled by major operations during World War II. This exercise was pioneering in its use of an industrial control system and certain types of precision-guided munitions. Ogarkov devoted considerable effort to advancing command theory related to Strategic Missile Forces and missile defense, establishing a dedicated center for operational-strategic research within the General Staff.[12]
Andrey A. Kokoshin, former secretary of the Security Council of Russia, recalled that Ogarkov was among the early figures to address issues connected to the ongoing revolution in military affairs.
Dismissal of Ogarkov
On 6 September 1984, the Politburo removed Ogarkov from his roles as Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Defense, appointing Sergey Akhromeyev as his successor.[1]
Political commentator Ilya Zemtsov has suggested that Ogarkov’s dismissal stemmed from Grigory Romanov’s unsuccessful attempt to become General Secretary. Zemtsov contends that Romanov sought to provoke a succession crisis where his influence over the armed forces—through his close ties with Ogarkov—would have swayed factions within the Politburo in his favor. Additionally, concerns arose within the Politburo regarding Ogarkov’s swift rise: he had diminished the authority of the Main Political Administration, responsible for maintaining party control over the military, and had gained entry to the Defense Council, albeit without voting rights.[13] While preparing for a diplomatic assignment, Romanov was unable to shield Ogarkov from being removed due to allegations of "unpartylike tendencies".[14]
Raymond L. Garthoff has noted that although "the exact reasons behind Ogarkov's sudden removal remain unclear, it is evident they related to defense resource allocation". Contrary to Zemtsov’s analysis, Garthoff asserted there is no evidence linking Ogarkov’s dismissal to internal political factionalism.[1]
Shortly after his removal, Ogarkov was appointed commander of a newly established Western theater of war command within the Formations of the Soviet Army.[15]
Post-Removal Career
Between August 1988 and January 1992, he held the position of inspector general within the Group of Inspectors General at the Ministry of Defense. Concurrently, from 1990 until August 1991, he led the All-Union Council representing Veterans of War, Labor, Armed Forces, and Law Enforcement Bodies.
After the dissolution of Soviet Union, in January 1992, he was designated as an advisor to the newly established Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Simultaneously, he served as a consultant to the Chief of the General Staff overseeing the Joint Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In his advisory capacity to the Ministry of Defense, Ogarkov primarily engaged with Andrey A. Kokoshin, the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, along with Army Generals Viktor Dubynin and Mikhail Kolesnikov, who were chiefs of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Kokoshin emphasized that Ogarkov’s input was crucial in formulating effective decisions for Russia’s inaugural state armament program.
Personal Life and Passing
Ogarkov was united in marriage with Raisa Georgievna Ogarkova (1920–2004). Together, they had multiple children and grandchildren.
He passed away on 23 January 1994 in Moscow after enduring a prolonged illness. His burial took place at the Novodevichy Cemetery, where he was honored with full military rites.
Honors and Decorations
- Soviet Union
- Lenin Prize recipient (1981)
- International Awards
| Ribbon | Award | Issuing Country |
|---|
Legacy
In 2003, a regional museum dedicated to Ogarkov was inaugurated in Molokovo, featuring exhibitions that explore his life and achievements. A commemorative plaque was also installed on the exterior of the residence at Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane in Moscow, where Ogarkov resided between 1976 and 1994. Additionally, in February 2018, one of the operational control rooms within the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation was named in his honor.
In popular culture
Richard Clarke references Ogarkov in his novel Breakpoint, using the theme of technological superiority in military revolutions to frame part of his narrative. Clarke portrays Ogarkov as the pioneering Soviet military figure who recognized that the technological disparity had become insurmountable, leading to a strategic concession at the conclusion of the Cold War.
References
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External links
- (in Russian) Biography
Template:Marshals of the Soviet Union Template:Chiefs of the Russian General Staff
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- Articles with Russian-language sources (ru)
- 1917 births
- 1994 deaths
- Candidates of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Members of the Central Committee of the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Members of the Central Committee of the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Members of the Central Committee of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Members of the Central Committee of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Members of the Central Committee of the 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- People from Tver Oblast
- People from Bezhetsky Uyezd
- Marshals of the Soviet Union
- Heroes of the Soviet Union
- Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 1st class
- Recipients of the Order of Lenin
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Star
- Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class
- Recipients of the Lenin Prize
- Recipients of the Scharnhorst Order
- Korean Air Lines Flight 007
- Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery
- Soviet military personnel of World War II
- Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni
- Seventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
- Eighth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
- Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
- Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
- Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
- Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta