28 across
Most
secure
force
when
cold
war
sides
abandoned
leaders
(7)
Most secure force when cold war sides abandoned leaders (7)
hints
0
checks
0
hints
The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
Most secure is the definition, since fastest can mean most firmly fixed. Take F for 'force', then East and West (the 'cold war sides') with their leading letters abandoned, leaving AST and EST, all run together to spell FASTEST.