NATO Force Sufficiency Study - 1970.
Abstract
After more than 20 years of outstanding success in implementing its basic objectives, the NATO Alliance faces a protracted period of serious internal and external stress. The political-military environment in Europe is in a profound flux, partly as a result of changing perceptions of the Soviet/Warsaw Pact threat, domestic economic problems, and changing national priorities of the European NATO Allies. Compounding the crisis in NATO is the recognition that the Soviet Union has achieved a position of strategic nuclear parity vis-a-vis the U.S. Within the European theater, moreover, the Soviet Union would have a position of strategic superiority if the American strategic deterrent were to be decoupled from the defense of Europe. Another factor intensifying NATO's predicament derives from Soviet diplomatic maneuvers to outflank NATO at its peripheries. In the Mediterranean-Middle East region on NATO's southern borders, the Soviet Union seeks to replace American influence with its own; and in the Scandinavian countries on NATO's northern flank the Soviet Union tries to exploit growing neutralist tendencies. The domestic debate in the United States over American commitments abroad and U.S. security policies also contributes to the current crisis in NATO.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0497088
Entities
People
- Richard B. Foster
Organizations
- SRI International