The Changing Military Equation in Central Europe.
Abstract
US national security interests and policy are based on the security of the Atlantic Community. But, a precondition of any national interest or associated policy is strength sufficient to balance that interest. For NATO there is a growing imperative, the identification of opportunities and measures to restore the effectiveness of its security against coercion. There is increasing acceptance of the reality of growing Warsaw Pact strength. The Pact is now considered capable of initiating an effective short warning time attack against the Central Region. The imbalance in Central Europe is rooted in long term neglect of needed improvements by the NATO nations; neglect perpetuated now by escalating costs of personnel, services, and materiel. But the most significant, vulnerability of allied defense capabilities derives from the dependence of strategy, force structure, mobilization, reinforcement, and logistic stockage on long warning time assumptions now seriously in question. Substantial resource investment is required to enhance responsiveness and flexibility, to upgrade the readiness of deployed forces and the deployability of reinforcements, to restructure forces in being to emphasize indirect firepower, to establish logistic support systems for both short and long term warfare, and to provide weapons systems of improved antiarmor capability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA053341
Entities
People
- R. C. Rainville
Organizations
- United States Army War College