This section covers the period following the Cuban Missile Crisis and goes up to the fall of the Soviet Union. It was a time of great significance for the military forces of the Soviet Union.  Most important of these were the 1969 reforms that touched almost every soldier.  Unlike the reforms of 1958, these broad reforms modernized the look of ALL Soviet uniforms.  It moved away from the stiff and uncomfortable WWII designs and to a more modern look that was both comfortable, functional, and professional.

In other military news, there was the border conflict with China and the invasion of Czechoslovakia.  There was also an escalation in the international arms race, a direct result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, after which the Soviet Union had vowed to never be in a position of weakness on the international scene.  This massive military buildup started by Leonid Brezhnev would end only with the collapse of the Soviet system in 1991.

Politically these years were known as the years of stagnation.  Leonid Brezhnev and his government was more interested in maintaining the status quo than advancing Soviet society as his predecessor was.   During the Cold War he continued the political chess game with Richard Nixon.  The shadow war of espionage and intrigue would last until the 'cooling off' period of the 1970's known as detente.  

Yet even then, the Soviets continued their strategic missile buildup and began deploying their SS-20 missile launchers into eastern Europe.  Tensions with the West started to rise.  Then came the Afghanistan war.