Volume XXI – Number 2
Terrence Casey
Abstract: The burden of the collective security arrangement in Western Europe is disproportionately placed on the shoulders of the United States, despite the strength of our European allies. The United States, in order to improve our security interests globally, must transfer responsibility of the majority of security deployments in Western Europe to those states. This does not mean the full removal of American forces from the European mainland, but rather, it means the increased reliance of European states to their own defense. The initial structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) took into account the relative weakness of the states of Western Europe in the aftermath of World War Two, thus issuing the majority of defense obligations against the Warsaw Pact states to the United States. However, the weakness of Western Europe in the immediate aftermath of the war has been overcome in the decades since the war’s end, and yet, the United States still provides more materiel proportionately to the defense of Western Europe. The gap in military assets and resources between NATO states and Warsaw Pact states has increased in the years since the end of World War Two. NATO members fear that the removal of American troops signals a decreased interest in the security of Europe, despite repeated statements that the defense of Western Europe is directly tied to the defense of the United States. This article analyzes potential solutions for Western Europe to increase their capability of providing for their own defense, while simultaneously offering suggestions for a more effective global security arrangement for the United States. Keywords: NATO, Warsaw Pact, Europe, Security Commitments
