Summary: NATO revised its strategic concept in 1991 to reflect the reduced threat of a large east-west military confrontation. The revision called for major changes in NATO's integrated military forces, including reductions in size and readiness; improvements in mobility and deployability for such contingencies as crisis management, search and rescue, and peacekeeping; and greater use of multinational formations. Because of instability in and around the Euro-Atlantic area and the possibility of crises at the periphery of the alliance, the strategic concept was revised again in 1999 to remphasize the need for greater mobility and deployability of forces to meet these potential crises. The United States is able to send troops and equipment over large distances. Many U.S.-European allies, however, do not see the need for this kind of capability because during the Cold War they were planning to fight in place with logistical support provided by fixed facilities and their civilian economies. This report discusses (1) how NATO determines its force requirements and each member's contribution to meeting those requirements and (2) how NATO allies have responded to the need for greater mobility and deployability in their military forces.
