ew helicopters built by the Chinese.

The five principal airbases are located near Tirana, Shijak (about
twenty miles west of Tirana), Vlore, Sazan Island (at the mouth of Vlore
Bay), and at Stalin (about forty miles south of Tirana). The base on
Sazan Island that was built and used by the Russians has been used
intermittently, if at all, since the Russians evacuated it in 1961.
Helicopter bases have been, or are being, constructed at several inland
cities as well as at Tirana, Shkoder, and as a part of the major base at
Vlore. The forces had no surface-to-surface missile capability in 1970.

The missions assigned to the combat elements of the air force are to
repel an enemy at the borders and to prevent the violation of Albanian
airspace. Because the force is small, could not easily be resupplied,
has exposed bases, and possesses no appreciable area to retreat into,
however, it could not be expected to contribute significantly to any
sustained combat effort. It serves mainly to provide the regime with
ostensive evidence of its power and technological progress.

Mobilization Potential

In the event of total mobilization there are just under 500,000 males
between the ages of fifteen and fifty. Of the total group approximately
75 percent, or nearly 375,000, are physically fit. More than half of
these have had some military service, and a sizable group participates
in military reserve activities (see ch. 4, The People).

Information as to how the existing establishment would be expanded is
not available. Units active in 1970 could be enlarged to about double
their peacetime strengths because all units are usually maintained at
considerably below combat readiness strengths. New units would probably
be created in infantry or guerrilla forces. Additional tank, air, and
naval units would require more of their special equipment before they
could become operational. Some women probably would be mobilized. The
national economy, however, could not provide logistic support for the
number of male personnel available, and external support would be
necessary.

Political Indoctrination

At the time of the Communist takeover in 1944 and in the years
immediately thereafter, political commissars were an integral part of
the military organization. They were considered essential in order to
assure that ideological beliefs were constant and were adhered to
without deviation. As the years passed they lost their early importance
an