Military Mobilization Work in Far East Internal Affairs Agencies: 1962-1970s

The article is devoted to an unexplored topic - the military mobilization component of the internal affairs bodies. The relevance of the topic stems from the importance of tasks assigned to law enforcement agencies in emergencies or in pre-war period, which, as the recent world events have shown, have proved to be an important tool in localization of the COVID-19 pandemic in many states. Application of various methodological approaches, principles and methods of research has ensured not only an objective reconstruction of the events, but also their maximum verification. Among these methods are historical-genetic, comparative-historical, structural-functional. They have made it possible to conduct a deep analysis of the events of Soviet history, both national and regional, both in national and foreign policy. Application of the principles of scientific objectivity, historicism, system-historical analysis have contributed to careful analytical work on synthesis of data from many documentary sources, directives, orders, instructions found in central and regional departmental and in state archives. Retrospective study of the topic in the 1960-1970s has made it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses of the law enforcement agencies, both in preparing the introduction of the "special period" and in its practical implementation within the framework of the Soviet-Chinese conflict in the Far East. As the study has shown, a sharp deterioration in relations between the USSR and China provided a powerful incentive for the development of military mobilization direction in the internal affairs bodies. While in the early 1960s there was a shortage of operational communications, vehicles, weapons, protective equipment, and bomb shelters in the region, by the early 1970s "thanks to" China the situation changed dramatically. The internal affairs bodies of the Far East received the maximum priority in their development. Their personnel, logistics support, and image strengthened, which significantly increased the level of combat readiness. In general, the study has not just introduced new archival sources into scientific use, but also assessed the events that took place on the Soviet-Chinese border in the 1960-1970s from the yet unknown side.