NATO's Nuclear Glue

Abstract

The United States forward based its nuclear forces in Europe during the Cold War to compensate for NATO's inferior number of conventional forces facing the Warsaw Pact. In the absence of the common threat that was present during the Cold War; is it still necessary to keep U.S. nuclear weapons prepositioned in Europe? This paper reviews the past and current role of US nuclear forces in NATO, considers future nuclear policy options, and discusses potential consequences of those decisions. It will also consider the developing European security and defense policy (ESDP) and whether the nuclear capabilities of EU-member countries France and the United Kingdom will evolve into an explicit and viable nuclear deterrent policy for the European Union as a whole, with important effects on NATO's nuclear posture and future. With post-Cold War and post-11 September 2001 changes in the geopolitical environment and Western threat perception, do nuclear weapons remain a strong and cohesive medium that connects the collective interests of the alliance?

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 2007
Accession Number
ADA469599

Entities

People

  • Scott T. Horton

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Asia
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Eastern Europe
  • European Union
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.