Pre-Emptive Nuke Strikes Weighed
Pre-Emptive Nuke Strikes Weighed
Military.com ^ | January 22, 2008
The West must be prepared to carry out pre-emptive nuclear strikes to halt the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, a radical new manifesto argues.
The document - written by five of the West's most senior military officers and strategists - has been presented to the Pentagon and NATO's secretary-general.
They argue there is a need for urgent and comprehensive reform of NATO, The Guardian reports.
A new pact - involving the United States, NATO and the European Union - was also essential to face the challenges ahead, they said.
The manifesto is likely to be discussed at a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, in April, the paper said.
The authors include some of the top defence minds in the West, including General John Shalikashvili, the former chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff and NATO's ex-supreme commander in Europe.
The others are General Klaus Naumann, Germany's former top soldier and ex-chairman of NATO's military committee; General Henk van den Breemen, a former Dutch chief of staff; Admiral Jacques Lanxade, a former French chief of staff; and Lord Inge, field marshal and ex-chief of the general staff and the defence staff in the United Kingdom.
The former armed forces chiefs from the U.S., Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands insist that a "first strike" nuclear option remains an "indispensable instrument" as there is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world", The Guardian reports.
It said the manifesto had been written following discussions with active commanders and policymakers, many of whom were unable or unwilling to publicly air their views.
"The risk of further [nuclear] proliferation is imminent and, with it, the danger that nuclear war fighting, albeit limited in scope, might become possible," the authors wrote, according to The Guardian.
"The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction."
It identified a number of key threats to the West's values and way of life, including international terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and political fanaticism and religious fundamentalism.
It also cited the weakening of organisations such as the United Nations, NATO and the EU.
To prevail, they said, NATO's decision-taking methods must be overhauled, moving to a majority rather than a consensus model, putting an end to national vetoes.
A new "directorate" of U.S., European and NATO leaders must also be established to respond rapidly to crises.
The five also proposed the use of force without UN security council authorisation when "immediate action is needed to protect large numbers of human beings," The Guardian reported.
Ron Asmus, head of the German Marshall Fund thinktank in Brussels and a former senior U.S. state department official, described the manifesto as "a wake-up call".
"This report means that the core of the NATO establishment is saying we're in trouble, that the West is adrift and not facing up to the challenges," he told the paper.
Naumann admitted the plan's retention of the nuclear first strike option was "controversial" even among the five authors.
But he said proliferation was spreading, and NATO needed to show "there is a big stick that we might have to use if there is no other option", he said.
Inge argued that "to tie our hands on first use or no first use removes a huge plank of deterrence."
Re: Pre-Emptive Nuke Strikes Weighed
NATO 'Must Prepare To Launch (Pre-Emptive) Nuclear Attack'
Quote:
NATO must prepare to launch pre-emptive nuclear attacks to ward off the use of weapons of mass destruction by its enemies, a group of former senior military officials has warned.
Calling for a major change to NATO's approach to defending its members and their interests, the authors of the report, which has been handed to NATO and Pentagon chiefs, said the first-strike use of nuclear weapons was a "indespensible instrument".
According to a report, the authors of the blueprint for reforming NATO include Lord Peter Inge, the former British chief of the defence staff and US General John Shalikashvili, the former NATO commander in Europe and chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.
"The risk of further proliferation is imminent and, with it, the danger that nuclear war fighting, albeit limited in scope, might become possible," the report said.
"The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction."
The document reportedly includes Lord Inge's comments on the controversy surrounding nuclear weapons policy: "To tie our hands on first use or no first use removes a huge plank of deterrence."
The report called for a wholesale reform of NATO and a new pack between NATO, the US and the European union in order to tackle modern military and terrorist threats to the West.
It warned the spread of nuclear technology meant there was "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world".
Terrorism, political fanaticism and religious fundamentalism were major threats to the West, and organised crime, climate change and migration on a mass scale posed dangers to the way of life of NATO members.
They also cited the weakening of global alliances, including the United Nations.
The authors have proposed major changes to the way NATO operates, including abandoning consensus decision making so fast action can be taken without the threat of vetoes and caveats imposed by some nations.
They also called for military action without ratification by the UN in cases where "immediate action is needed to protect large numbers of human beings".
The report was compiled after authors were briefed by senior serving military officials who are unable to speak publicly about their concerns with NATO's military strategy.
The document may be discussed at a NATO summit in Bucharest in April.
The other three authors are Klaus Naumann, a German former military commander, Henk van den Breemen, a former Dutch military official, and Jacques Lanxade, the former French admiral and chief of defence.
