ABSTRACT
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has made an important contribution to the maintenance of peace among the major powers. Indeed, though Alliance members have often disagreed over a vast array of NATO issues, the overriding interest in peace with freedom has kept them together and helped prevent war on the continent. NATO's ability to maintain this linkage has required the achievement of two interrelated tasks. First, the United States has had to maintain "central deterrence" through sufficient strategic nuclear forces to deter a nuclear attack on the United States. Second, the United States has had to extend the American nuclear deterrent to dissuade aggression against Europe as well. Interdependence among the elements of NATO security has provided the centrifugal impetus for endless debate over alliance strategy and operational doctrine, but the same interdependence has also created the centripetal pressure that has held the Alliance together. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
