The Soviet Armed Forces

The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union (Russian: Вооружённые Силы Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза) refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917—1922), and Soviet Union (1922—1991) from their beginnings in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War to its dissolution in December 1991.

According to the all-union military service law of September 1925, the Soviet Armed Forces consisted of five components: the Ground Forces, the Air Forces, the Navy, the State Political Directorate (OGPU) (predecessor of the Committee for State Security KGB)).[1] The OGPU was later made independent and amalgamated with the NKVD in 1934. After World War II the Strategic Rocket Forces (1960), Air Defence Forces (1948) and troops of the All-Union National Civil Defence Corps were added, standing first, third and sixth in the official Soviet reckoning of comparative importance (with the Ground Forces being second, the Air Forces fourth, the Navy fifth, the Border Troops Service of the MVD seventh and the MVD Internal Troops in eighth place.)
 Source: Wikipedia