ABSTRACT
European leaders have every right to demand that the United States (US) finally make up its mind about the nature of its vital strategic interests and the level of its commitment to Europe. There is a continuing debate as to whether the US needs to station a large contingent of forces in West Germany. Without a substantial contingent of US forces in West Germany, the credibility of the US guarantee is not convincing, a situation that might tempt the Soviets to exert pressure on Western Europe. The absolute necessity of maintaining substantial US forces in Europe seems to be crystal clear to European leaders of all major political parties. Withdrawal initiatives in Congress also undermine the possibility of negotiating reciprocal withdrawals of Soviet and US forces from Central Europe in the mutual and balanced force reduction talks in Vienna.
