Strategy, Doctrine, And The Politics Of Alliance
Strategy, Doctrine, And The Politics Of Alliance

Author: Paul Buteux

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-07-31

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 100031331X

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This book examines the processes of nuclear policymaking in NATO and the interaction of alliance strategy with the docrines underlying it. Dr. Buteux focuses on the issue of theatre nuclear force modernisation to illustrate his thesis that NATO's strategic posture results from a political process in which other than purely strategic objectives are sought; agreements on alliance strategy may in fact be related only indirectly to the actual military posture of the alliance and the means available to support it. The book highlights the cumulative effect of strategic and technological change on the strategy and nuclear politics of NATO. Emphasizing that the present strategic environment has called into question many of the strategic and political premises on which NATO's nuclear posture has been based, Dr. Buteux gives special attention to recent proposals to deploy enhanced-radiation weapons (the "neutron bomb") and new intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe. He considers the impact of these proposals on NATO's nuclear policymaking process and on the ability of the alliance to continue to base its deterrent posture on the concept of flexible response

Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services. Subcommittee on Strategic and Theater Nuclear Forces

Publisher:

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 438

ISBN-13:

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Theater Nuclear Weapons and the NATO Strategy of Flexible Response
Theater Nuclear Weapons and the NATO Strategy of Flexible Response

Author: J. Michael Legge

Publisher:

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13:

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After more than a decade of comparatively little public interest in matters of nuclear strategy, the last few years have seen a resurgence of concern about the policy of nuclear deterrence that the North Atlantic Alliance has followed since the early 1950s. In Europe in particular, this concern has centered on the role of theater nuclear weapons in NATO strategy. This report briefly examines the way in which that strategy evolved from the foundation of the Alliance in 1949 to the formal adoption of the current "flexible response" strategy in 1967, with particular reference to the role of theater nuclear weapons. It then traces the development within the NATO Nuclear Planning Group of the more detailed doctrine concerning the role of theater nuclear weapons within the overall strategy, which led inter alia to the decision taken by NATO in 1979 to modernize the long-term component of the theater nuclear forces. The report examines the main arguments that have been advanced against the current flexible response strategy, and considers the merits of various alternative strategies. The report finally considers ways in which the Alliance's theater nuclear stockpile might be adapted to meet the political and strategic needs of the 1980s.

NATO's Theater Nuclear Forces
NATO's Theater Nuclear Forces

Author: Jean D. Reed

Publisher:

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13:

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With the passage of time, the role of nuclear weapons in NATO defense strategy has changed significantly. By the 1980s, the doctrine of massive retaliation has evolved into one of flexible response. Now that the Soviet Union has reached parity with the West in strategic forces, NATO's theater nuclear strategy has emerged as a critical issue. Although deterrence remains the goal of NATO defense policy, the current configuration of NATO's triad of conventional, theater nuclear, and strategic nuclear forces may not be adequate to maintain the peace. The author focuses on theater nuclear forces, recommending changes in their configuration to support changes in conventional and strategic forces. In calling for clarification of the conditions which would justify initial use of theater nuclear weapons, he proposes an explicit linking of conventional and theater forces with strategic forces. The adoption of these proposals would allow a restatement of flexible response and enhance deterrence.