Evening star., 1953-05-04
NATO's New Pace

Secretary of States Dulles has given the
Nation reaSSuring report on the results of the
recent Paris meeting of the Council of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. Despite some
peSSimiStic interpretations of the councils de-
ciSon to moderate or stretch OUT the pace of
the Western defensive build-up, Mr.. Dulles has
estimated that NATOs existing forces, far from
being adversely affected by that decision, &C
tualy will increase in combat effectiveness by
about 80 per cent during the current year.
At first glance, this may seem to be
paradox. For how can such notable gain be
achieved if at the same time the Atlantic
alliance-in order to avoid excessive economic
and other strains in the member countries
decreases the tempo of its build-up effort? Mr..
Dulles answer, though based on a number of
large assumptions is fairly persuasive. AS he has
put it, the job can be done "by improving quality
rather than by seeking an immediate large
increase in quantity. In world of toughneSs,
1t is better to be compact and hard rather than
to be big and soft"
AS they stand today, NATOS armies are
made up of IS diviSions-50 in Western Europe
and 25 in Greece and Turkey. However, al
though they constitute a force that the Soviet
Union could attack only at very heavy cost to
itself, they are not as combat-ready as they
should be. For example, they are seriously
short of ammunition and other critical items.
Accordingly, as Mr.. Dulles has indicated one
Of the Atlantic alliances chief current objec-
tives-as agreed upon at the Paris meeting
will be to bring them to full strength by
eliminating their present deficiencies between
now and the end Of the year.
With that done. with their combat effec-
tiveness thus increased by some 80 per cent,
NATO'S IS divisions should then be as compact
and hard as Mr.. Dulles has suggeSted-that Is,
compact and hard enough to be powerful
deterrent to Soviet aggression. Quite obviously,
coupled with the highly significant fact that
all signs indicate great American superiority in
the field of tactical and Strategical atomic weap-
ons, such a strengthening of the existing allied
armies is certain to enhance the security OF the
free world in the months ahead during which
six new divisions are to be created.
Given this kind of improvement, the NATO
alliance will be taking a defenSible calculated
risk in proceeding at slower pace to organize
additional forces Prior to the Paris meeting, the
build-up effort was geared to the idea that 1854
or 1855 would be the year of greatest crisis and
danger-the year in which the Russians would
be most likely to attack weStward-and that the
Atlantic community needed to arm itself on an
urgent all-out basis in the meantime. But now
that view-as a result of the allied reaSseSsment
Of possibilities S-has been abandoned in favor Of
a less pressing tempo
AS Mr.. Dulles and others have emphasized
however, the change Of pace has not been de-
cided upon because of any feeling in NATO that
the Soviet menace has lessened. Nor has the
Kremlin's recent peaceable talk had the
slightest bearing on the matter. The main
purpose Of the revised policy is simply to make
existing forces reader than they are aNfas as