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

ief overview of current themes of conventional arms
control, seeking threads that may inform our perspective.
OBJECTIVES
The most prominent products of the European
conventional arms control effort—the Treaty on Conventional
Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the Vienna
Document on Confidence- <strong>and</strong> Security-Building
Measures (VDoc), <strong>and</strong> the Open Skies Treaty—all
have as their fundamental premise the obligation to
refrain from the threat or use of force in the mutual
relations of the parties. Each has evolved in its own
way to meet the changing needs of the post-Cold War
security environment. The essential steps: build on
maturing political relationships; apply new technology;
<strong>and</strong> incorporate lessons learned <strong>and</strong> document
best practices.
Perhaps because it represents the “hard arms control”
end of the spectrum, with legally binding limits
on holdings <strong>and</strong> robust verification measures—<strong>and</strong>,
not coincidentally, is at the greatest present risk of
unraveling—the CFE regime has probably undergone
the most extensive conceptual retooling of the lot. The
original objectives expressed in its m<strong>and</strong>ate were of
Cold War vintage:
• establish a stable <strong>and</strong> secure balance of conventional
armed forces at lower levels;
• eliminate disparities prejudicial to stability <strong>and</strong>
security; <strong>and</strong>,
• eliminate the capability for launching surprise
attack <strong>and</strong> initiating large-scale offensive action.
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