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

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

This collection includes aircraft from former Soviet Bloc states. In the 1980s, these weapons were considered advanced threats to the U.S. However, major political changes unfolded during my service in the 1990s. The Warsaw Pact was formally disbanded in 1991, and former Warsaw Pact nations sought out increased cooperation with the U.S.and NATO. East Germany reunited with NATO member Germany in 1990, even before the Warsaw Pact’s official dissolution. In 1999, Czechia, Hungary, and Poland joined NATO.

The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, prompting increased western cooperation with former Soviet states, including Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. However, uncertainty and chaos spread in some former Soviet satellite states, particularly Afghanistan and Yugoslavia.