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Post Cold War defence changes

01 July 1992

NATO Ministers decided in June that in future it could act outside its member territories. Until now NATO, founded at the beginning of the Cold War in 1949, could only act in defence of member countries. For this reason in the Gulf War European troops were sent under the umbrella of the Western European Union (WEU) not NATO. (The WEU consists of all European Community countries except Ireland, Denmark and Greece). In future, NATO forces will be able to undertake "peace-keeping" operations on behalf of the 52 member nation Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which includes all the countries in Western and Eastern Europe.

Critics however say that NATO is geared up to war-fighting not peace-keeping and that money and resources would be better spent increasing these countries contribution to the United Nations and Blue Helmet peace-keeping corps. This view received backing when Reuters published a secret NATO strategy report (MC400) which shows that it is slimming down in order to survive. The report refers to using nuclear weapons with precision and discrimination and securing the Suez Canal to safeguard oil supplies.

Earlier this year France and Germany decided to set up a joint 35,000 strong army corps which they hope will be the basis of a European army. France, which withdrew from NATO in 1967 because of US domination, sees future EC defence policy being centred on this initiative rather than on NATO. While NATO in May 1991 decided to set up a Rapid Reaction Force (RRF), to be operational by 1995, which the UK will lead.

The ending of the Cold War, between East and West, has turned NATO thinking South - with the residual need to provide a quick reaction force to deal with nationalist struggles in the "wider" Europe. In this context the respective roles of NATO, the WEU, an EC force, and the CSCE are still in the melting pot.

Tribune 5.6.92; Guardian 5.6.92; Jane's Defence Weekly 20.7.91; "Europe within NATO' Sir Leon Brittan RUSI Journal, Summer 1991; MOD press release 9.7.91.