Precision Guided Munitions: Implications for Detente.

Abstract

No consensus has yet developed regarding the meaning or impact of new high-technology tactical weapons systems, either with respect to the military balance in Europe or in the larger context of East-West relations and detente. Some writers believe that a radical shift in the tactical military balance may be underway, possibly approaching a point of departure from traditional reliance upon nuclear weapons. The following discussion first reviews the time-honored debate over the defensibility of Western Europe without recourse to tactical nuclear weapons. It then introduces the new dimensions represented by precision guided munitions and related technology and identifies the principal intellectual schools which have developed as a result. Finally, it transcends the debate to seek out and to explore the likely implications of the opposing points of view for western security.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 16, 1975
Accession Number
ADA015465

Entities

People

  • Edward B. Atkeson

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • East West Relations
  • Europe
  • Munitions
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Precision
  • Precision-Guided Munitions
  • Security
  • Weapons
  • Western Europe

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies