ABSTRACT
Defenses against nuclear weapons could have the same effect as banning those weapons by helping to insulate the United States from Soviet attack, and they have generally been viewed by the Europeans as one more blow to the status of the offensive nuclear deterrent. This chapter identifies probable theaters of conflict and eventually settled on a likely scenario involving the simultaneous occurrence of a major Soviet and Chinese attack and a smaller conflict with a country like Cuba. Ambassador Robert Komer has suggested that a balanced, coalition approach to conventional forces would allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to get their forces cheaply enough that they could afford a sufficient number to fight a conventional war in Europe. This strategy would replace the current balanced national force concept, allowing each NATO member to contribute those forces it can add with most efficiency.
