How big is the threat to Europe: transatlantic debates over the balance of forces

Jorg Baldauf

Expert InsightsPublished 1987

In the past, European and American assessments of the Warsaw Pact threat have varied considerably, despite apparent, but superficial, agreements on joint documents such as the annual NATO document, MC 161. Underlying factors were differences in the quantity and quality of intelligence, analytic techniques, bureaucratic organizations, and political calculations. This paper, adapted from the author's dissertation on implementing flexible response, undertakes a case study of a failed attempt in the 1970s to arrive at detailed European-American threat assessment, explores the factors that explain the differences, and briefly discusses the implications of the failure for NATO force planning.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1987
  • Pages: 50
  • Document Number: P-7372

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Chicago Manual of Style

Baldauf, Jorg, How big is the threat to Europe: transatlantic debates over the balance of forces. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1987. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P7372.html.
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