ABSTRACT
Geography makes West Germany the keystone of West European defense and the most vulnerable member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Among the NATO countries that border the Eastern Bloc (Norway, Greece, and Turkey), only the FRG has 30 percent of its population and 25 percent of its industrial capacity located within sixty miles of the East-West frontier. This proximity, and the absence of a national nuclear deterrent capability, makes the Federal Republic the most exposed member of the Atlantic Alliance. Without the military protection of the United States, West European security cannot be guaranteed." During 1987 the major obstacle to improved Franco-German security cooperation was largely resolved. Even in the face of a diminished Soviet threat, Franco-German defense cooperation may expand with American disengagement. It is believed that eventually, the Franco-German nucleus could even spawn a European defense community which embraces the nine members of the Western European Union.
