Relationships between U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Command Structures--Need for Closer Integration

The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military command structures are similarly organized and have basically the same overall mission, which is to provide a combat-ready force to deter aggression from the Warsaw Pact nations.

The close relationship of the two command structures is best illustrated by: several U.S. commanders being also NATO commanders; NATO assuming operational command of U.S. combat forces in a NATO war; and NATO being heavily staffed with U.S. personnel in peacetime. There are at least two alternatives that should be considered in analyzing the U.S. command structure in Europe: integration of the U.S. unified command with NATO Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe, and integration of the component commands and the U.S. European Command.

Recommendations

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