ABSTRACT
In situ remote sensing is an essential component of on-site inspection methods, and for Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) it would be prudent to negotiate for the use of a wide range of technologies and sensor systems. The political processes under way in Europe are disrupting the two-bloc security system and the bipolar structures it has spanned in the 23-member CFE talks. The most practical alternative seems likely to be arms reduction negotiations involving all 35 members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. A central imperative of the conventional arms control negotiations has been to eliminate the possibility of a surprise, high-intensity offensive. In this strategy, there is an explicit subscription to an understanding of what constitutes offensive and defensive capabilities and that both sides should move to so-called "defense sufficiency" doctrines and force structures. This obviously assumes a plan for appropriate equipment and, less clearly, supporting technologies.
