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

<strong>and</strong> possibility of arms control in Europe. Bloc-tobloc
Mutual <strong>and</strong> Balanced Force Reductions (MBFR)
negotiations to reduce conventional military forces in
Central Europe to equal but significantly lower levels
began in Vienna in October 1973. Despite being hailed
by West Germany leader Willi Br<strong>and</strong>t as “a proving
ground for détente,” 78 the talks were stultified by numerous
disagreements, especially over actual numbers.
No substantive progress was made, although the
process itself, despite its protracted frustrations, was
judged by many to have been worthwhile in facilitating
strategic dialogue between East <strong>and</strong> West <strong>and</strong> laying
some of the ground for the subsequent <strong>and</strong> more
successful Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
(CFE) Treaty.
To break the deadlock, <strong>NATO</strong> made an offer, Option
3, in December 1975 as a sweetener to its earlier
proposals, offering to withdraw 1,000 nuclear warheads,
54 F-4 nuclear-capable aircraft, <strong>and</strong> 36 Pershing
short-range ballistic missile launchers in exchange
for withdrawals of Soviet armored forces. This offer
achieved no greater success than any other proposal
within the MBFR process, which was formally terminated
in 1989. However, it was the first suggestion that
<strong>NATO</strong> could envisage its TNWs becoming counters to
be thrown into a reciprocal process intended to reduce
military numbers <strong>and</strong> suspicions on both sides. It also
indicated that the <strong>NATO</strong> stockpile was large enough
to accommodate large reductions without significant
military risk.
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