Conference Report 01/17: "Keep Calm and Deter: NATO Nuclear Deterrence After the Warsaw Summit", by Alessandra G. Dibenedetto and Jeffrey A. Larsen.
Dear Reader,
This conference report follows the annual Nuclear Deterrence conference held at the NATO Defense College in December 2016, organized by the NDC Research Division and co-sponsored by the Institute for Strategic Research in the French Ministry of Defense. Its findings reflect the discussions over two days by a group of 55 experts from 15 countries. The main topics covered included NATO nuclear strategy and deterrence following the Warsaw Summit; the need for a grand strategy for the Alliance; the requirement for broader education on these issues; Russian foreign and defense policy and nuclear strategy; and the current nuclear developments in East Asia and the Middle East.
Among the key findings are that NATO needs to continue strengthening its conventional and nuclear deterrent capabilities; increase its strategic education efforts; and try to develop a grand strategy. As Russia seems to be integrating nuclear weapons into its political and military strategies, NATO needs to maintain a credible, committed and transparent deterrent posture. Finally, the East Asian and Middle Eastern nuclear scenarios remain uncertain, as is any NATO response to a crisis in those regions.
We hope you find this conference report a valuable overview of some of the deterrence issues that NATO is currently dealing with.
Regards,
Jeff
Jeffrey A. Larsen, PhD, Division Head Research
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