ABSTRACT
Although the current debate over the implications for NATO of likely developments in conventional military technology began in earnest only in 1982, an earlier eruption of official and academic interest in the possible impact of precision-guided munitions (PGM) and other new military technology (particularly C3 and surveillance systems) on European security occurred in the wake of the sometimes spectacular use of such weapons in the Vietnam and the October 1973 Middle East wars. 1 By examining factors such as the implications of these new military systems for the offence/defence balance, the nuclear threshold, and arms control, discussions in the mid/late 1970s foreshadowed many elements that have re-emerged as being of central importance in the more recent debate.
