ABSTRACT
The attitude of Europeans toward the US guarantee to use nuclear weapons in defense of the alliance has varied during the years. With the purchase of Polaris missiles from the United States in 1962, the British government needed a formal rationale to justify the acquisition of the weapon system. The Soviets also have been active in the research and development of space-based systems, but the components of a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system are not as developed as are the land-based components. If the deployment of a Soviet BMD threatened to undermine the effectiveness of the British and French strategic forces, both nations would have several options available to counter this threat. Either ally would select a response after a thorough analysis of the situation. One possible response option available to both countries would avoid the Soviet BMD by abandoning ballistic missiles and moving to a cruise missile threat.
