83. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford1
SUBJECT
- Modification of Poseidon Commitment to NATO
Since 1972 the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) has had designated 150 of the reentry vehicles carried on the ballistic missiles of the U.S. Poseidon submarine fleet to cover targets in NATO’s General Strike Plan (GSP). Secretary Rumsfeld would like to announce this week at a meeting of the NATO Nuclear Planning Group a U.S. offer to assign an additional 250 reentry vehicles for GSP targets, bringing the total number of RVs assigned to SACEUR to 400 (memo at Tab A).
I have reviewed the proposal and concur in it. The Poseidon RVs provide SACEUR with a secure and reliable way to cover GSP targets, and an increase in the number of RVs dedicated to these targets will introduce some flexibility into the use that can be made of other nuclear systems in Europe. Making the offer at the Nuclear Planning Group meeting will give Secretary Rumsfeld a chance to explain the offer in the context of our general approach to NATO’s theater nuclear forces, and to initiate the studies required to incorporate this increased capability into NATO’s overall force posture.
Recommendation:
That you authorize Secretary Rumsfeld to offer an additional 250 Poseidon reentry vehicles for SACEUR’s General Strike Plan at the upcoming NATO Nuclear Planning Group meeting. (Secretary Kissinger concurs.)
- Summary: Scowcroft recommended that
Ford approve
Rumsfeld’s proposal
to offer an additional 250 Poseidon reentry vehicles for SACEUR’s General Strike
Plan.
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box 65, NSDM 328—Modification of SSBN Commitments to NATO. Secret. Sent for action. Ford initialed his approval of Scowcroft’s recommendation. Attached but not published is Tab A, a January 16 memorandum from Rumsfeld to Scowcroft entitled, “Modification of Poseidon Commitment to NATO.”
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