US Forces for NATO: Military Questions - Political Answers.
Abstract
Each year, the US provides the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a commitment of military forces for the coming year. The commitment is made in the US response to the NATO Defense Planning Questionnaire (DPQ). The Secretary of Defense takes of DPQ recommendation from the Joints Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and modifies it to address political concerns. NATO war planners then use this commitment to develop war plans. However, US planners use a force structure for Europe based on a military strategy and force apportionment unaffected by these political decisions. There is currently no mechanism to ensure that both US and NATO plans are harmonized. The problem can be diminished by applying four principles to the force planning and strategy development process: (1) the JCS must receive top-down guidance on political imperatives, (2) US-only plans should be modified to reflect DPQ response decisions, (3) political decisions must be made recognizing their impact on military planning, (4) Congress must better understand the military strategy. Through application of these concepts, we can guarantee that military questions will receive appropriate responses. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 23, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA180225
Entities
People
- Martin R. Berndt
Organizations
- United States Army War College