From this analysis, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger directed DIA to publish the first unclassified edition of Soviet Military Power in September 1981. The impact of Soviet Military Power was enormous — far beyond what anyone had foreseen. The editions spanned a decade, and forever set the standard for authoritative unclassified publications. At the height of its run, the 1987 edition totaled nearly 400,000 copies — greatly exceeding the sales required to place on the New York Times Best Sellers list.