CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
about each others' political and military intentions.
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
(MBFR)
25. After a NATO initiative, and following exploratory talks
during the first part of 1973, substantive East/West negotiations
on mutual and balanced force reductions began in Vienna
in October 1973. The objective of the talks, agreed by all
Governments concerned, is "to contribute to a more stable relation-
ship and to the strengthening of peace and security in Europe".
The objective of any agreement reached will be to provide
undiminished security for both East and West at a lower level of
forces.
26.
The main concern of the Alliance is the fact that the Warsaw Pact's
conventional ground forces in Central Europe (the area covered by
the negotiations) significantly outnumber those of the West in
manpower and major equipments (see paragraphs 3-5 and 7 above).
In addition, the Warsaw Pact has considerable geographical
advantages which would enable any Soviet troops withdrawn as a
result of an MBFk agreement to return swiftly to forward positions
across only 400 miles of land with a choice of many good
reinforcement routes. Similar forces withdrawn by the United
States would have to cross 3,000 miles of ocean.
27. The Allied negotiators have therefore proposed that the
eventual outcome of the negotiations should be that each side should
reduce its conventional ground forces manpower in Central Europe to a
"common ceiling" and that such reductions should take into
account current disparities in combat capability. NATO has
suggested that the first phase of reduction leading towards
II-11
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.