ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the economic factors that affect spending for strategic weapons by the major US allies who are economically strong enough to be world class military powers—should they choose to be. It shows the economic realities faced by all of these countries have had a major role in shaping their defense establishments and in determining the mix of conventional and strategic forces they have chosen to deploy. The use of the nuclear weapons has also tied the United States to any potential European conflict, guaranteeing that the United States would not 'sit out' a war between Europe/North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact. The role of the United States in the redesigned NATO forces would also have to be redefined. Thus, the resulting changes would have political, budgetary, research, force structure, and defense industrial base implications.