Europe, Forward Presence, and the Future

• Main Author: Stanton, James P.
• Other Authors: NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIV WASHINGTON DC CENTER FOR COUNTERPROLIFERATION RESEARCH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1994
• Subjects: Government and Political Science; Military Forces and Organizations; *MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES); *NATO; *EUROPE; *NATIONAL SECURITY; REPRINTS; STABILITY; FORWARD AREAS; UNITED STATES; POLICIES; ECONOMICS; THREATS; PROTECTION; INTERNATIONAL TRADE; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; CULTURE; COOPERATION; NORTH AFRICA; *EUROPEAN COMMAND; *REGIONAL SECURITY; POST COLD WAR ERA; EUCOM(EUROPEAN COMMAND); FORWARD PRESENCE; EUROPEAN SECURITY POLICY; REGIONAL STABILITY; CULTURAL BONDS; ECONOMIC TRADE; ECONOMIC BONDS; NACC(NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL); Protector; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA426896; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA426896

Change, life's only true constant, still buffets the European security environment like wind. The fall of the Wall, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the collapse of the Soviet Union have eliminated any immediate threat of large-scale attack against Western Europe. These changes have allowed U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to judiciously reduce forward-based forces. But the challenges and responsibilities of a new European environment still loom large. Revolutions in recent years have been largely bloodless yet revolutions nonetheless. More new nations, borders, and expectations have been created by these events than by any others since World War II. Since the dust has not settled on the momentous events of the last few years, continued U.S. engagement remains imperative. Cooperative security arrangements that guided the allies through the Cold War have unique capabilities that could not be replicated if NATO ceased to exist. Therefore, the status of the Atlantic Alliance as the protector of Europe -- a region with immense cultural, political, and economic claims on the nation's national interests -- seems assured for at least another half century. With the flexibility to adjust in changing times, and American resolve to support the Alliance through continued forward presence, NATO will remain the vehicle for meeting security challenges in EUCOM's area of responsibility. (7 photographs) Published in Joint Force Quarterly, p47-53, Winter 1993-1994. The original document contains color images.