Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

tegic Concept <strong>and</strong> the increasingly pressing question
of DCA modernization. Expectations of a change in
<strong>NATO</strong> nuclear policy <strong>and</strong> posture were reinforced
by the dem<strong>and</strong> of the German coalition for the withdrawal
of U.S. warheads from German territory <strong>and</strong>
the growth of support for the Global Zero initiative.
However, these expectations were to be disappointed.
The Lisbon, Portugal, Summit was unable to achieve
agreement on key aspects of nuclear policy, including
the pressure for a specific review of <strong>NATO</strong>’s nuclear
posture. Reconciliation of these differences was effectively
deferred to a review of <strong>NATO</strong>’s overall deterrence
<strong>and</strong> defense posture (DDPR) to be undertaken
by the <strong>NATO</strong> Council in permanent session.
The DDPR is now underway, <strong>and</strong> it is expected
that the review of nuclear forces will provide the centerpiece.
Not surprisingly, the key differences over
nuclear policy that required the compromise in the
first place have already resurfaced, making both progress
<strong>and</strong> the final outcome difficult to foresee. This
chapter will provide an overview of the debate from
a “<strong>NATO</strong> perspective” <strong>and</strong> a brief assessment of the
national agendas which underpin it.
A <strong>NATO</strong> PERSPECTIVE
Based on an Alliance of independent <strong>and</strong> sovereign
nations, a “<strong>NATO</strong> perspective” is literally the
collective view of the 28 members that emerges from
the policy <strong>and</strong> decisionmaking process founded on
the principle of consensus. While attention is always
drawn to the final decision or policy, the real story lies
in the process itself <strong>and</strong> the various twists <strong>and</strong> turns
that are necessary in order to achieve the agreement of
all members. Each member brings to the table national
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