Assessing possible improvements in NATO's non-strategic nuclear deterrence forces
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Authors
Frost, Jeffrey R.
Subjects
NATO
Baltic
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
Poland
Russia
Crimea
Ukraine
nuclear weapons
Cruise missile
Tomahawk Land Attack Missile
Ballistic Missile
deterrence
Nuclear Planning Group
B-61
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses.
Baltic
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
Poland
Russia
Crimea
Ukraine
nuclear weapons
Cruise missile
Tomahawk Land Attack Missile
Ballistic Missile
deterrence
Nuclear Planning Group
B-61
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses.
Advisors
Yost, David S.
Date of Issue
2017-12
Date
Dec-17
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Given Moscow's revanchist foreign policy, its willingness to use military force to achieve its goals, and its annexation of Crimea in 2014, the strategic threat Russia presents to NATO's Allies in the Baltic region has become acute. The Alliance must find a means to deter Moscow from attempting a similar action in the former Soviet Baltic republics that are now NATO member states. This thesis has identified regional nuclear deterrence as the best means of addressing this threat, and it has answered the question: How, and to what extent, would the addition of U.S. sea- and ground-based non-strategic nuclear weapons strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defense posture in Europe? Through a qualitative analysis of NATO's nuclear deterrence posture in Europe in the light of new challenges, including Russian air defenses, this thesis has found that the addition of a nuclear-capable cruise missile such as the Nuclear Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM-N), deployed on surface ships, would be an effective short-term solution to this problem and would be consistent with the Navy's distributed lethality concept for surface ships. Moreover, to enhance the Alliance's long-term regional deterrent, a short-range ground-based dual-capable ballistic missile could usefully complement the TLAM-N
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
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NPS Report Number
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.