NATO Double-Track Decision
Encyclopedia
The NATO Double-Track Decision is the decision of NATO from December 12, 1979 to offer the Warsaw Pact
a mutual limitation of Medium-range ballistic missile
s and Intermediate-range ballistic missile
s combined with the threat that in case of disagreement NATO would deploy more middle range nuclear weapon
s in Western Europe
.
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
culminated in the signing of the SALT I (1972) and SALT II (1979) agreements which mostly reduced nuclear capacities, supposedly to prevent an ongoing arms race
in this area.
The SALT
agreements were not intended to be considered a form of mutual arms control
, but merely referred to strategic carrier systems and their warhead
s, which did not include any tactical nuclear weapons, e.g. nuclear bombs delivered by bomber
s or midrange missiles (MRBMs
& IRBMs
). This was a loophole in the SALT agreements which existed because midrange missiles were only in use until the intercontinental ballistic missile was perfected. This loophole was exploited by the Soviet Union to develop and deploy a new modern midrange missile equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, the SS-20.
In December 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan
. The relationship between the Eastern bloc
and the Western bloc
reached a new low in the Cold War
.
Gryphon Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles) to rebuild the state of Mutual Assured Destruction
. NATO offered immediate negotiations with the goal to ban nuclear armed middle-range missiles from Europe completely, with the provision that the same missiles could be installed 4 years later should the negotiations fail. The Soviets were critical that the French nuclear weapons weren't considered in this treaty.
The opposition in the peace movement
criticized mainly that the nuclear destructive potential was sufficient already to destroy the planet several times over, concluding that any additional armament would be senseless. Furthermore it was pointed out that this situation was similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis
, since the time between the advance warning and the arrival of the missiles in case of a first strike from Europe was reduced to few minutes for the Soviet Union
. The possibility of a "war by mistake" and nuclear holocaust was heightened significantly. One of the many slogans used by the peace movement
referred to "Make Love Not War" and the name of the American middle range weapons: "Petting instead of Pershing".
Supporters of the Double-Track Decision pointed out that in case of a Russian SS-20, a counter strike by NATO could only be performed by American intercontinental ballistic missile, which would lead to an automatic escalation of the conflict. In any case, the Pershing II was unsuitable as a first strike weapon, since it couldn't reach Russian rocket facilities beyond the Ural Mountains
and poses no threat to the strategic submarines.
The disarmament negotiations which started on November 30, 1981 remained without conclusion. The German Bundestag
agreed to the deployment in 1983, whereupon the Soviet Union
aborted the negotiations.
On December 8, 1987 the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
was signed between the United States
and the Soviet Union
which provided the destruction of all middle range weapons and ended this episode of the Cold War
.
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
a mutual limitation of Medium-range ballistic missile
Medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1...
s and Intermediate-range ballistic missile
Intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km , between a medium-range ballistic missile and an intercontinental ballistic missile...
s combined with the threat that in case of disagreement NATO would deploy more middle range nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
.
Preceding events
The détenteDétente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
culminated in the signing of the SALT I (1972) and SALT II (1979) agreements which mostly reduced nuclear capacities, supposedly to prevent an ongoing arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
in this area.
The SALT
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
agreements were not intended to be considered a form of mutual arms control
Arms control
Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
, but merely referred to strategic carrier systems and their warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
s, which did not include any tactical nuclear weapons, e.g. nuclear bombs delivered by bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s or midrange missiles (MRBMs
Medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1...
& IRBMs
Intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km , between a medium-range ballistic missile and an intercontinental ballistic missile...
). This was a loophole in the SALT agreements which existed because midrange missiles were only in use until the intercontinental ballistic missile was perfected. This loophole was exploited by the Soviet Union to develop and deploy a new modern midrange missile equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, the SS-20.
In December 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. The relationship between the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
and the Western bloc
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...
reached a new low in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
The "Double-Track" decision
The European NATO members saw in the mobile launching platform-mounted SS-20 missiles no less a threat than the strategic intercontinental missiles, and on December 12, 1979 took on the so-called NATO Double-Track Decision. This decision intended the deployment of 572 equally mobile American middle-range missiles (Pershing II and BGM-109 TomahawkBGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...
Gryphon Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles) to rebuild the state of Mutual Assured Destruction
Mutual assured destruction
Mutual Assured Destruction, or mutually assured destruction , is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of...
. NATO offered immediate negotiations with the goal to ban nuclear armed middle-range missiles from Europe completely, with the provision that the same missiles could be installed 4 years later should the negotiations fail. The Soviets were critical that the French nuclear weapons weren't considered in this treaty.
The opposition in the peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
criticized mainly that the nuclear destructive potential was sufficient already to destroy the planet several times over, concluding that any additional armament would be senseless. Furthermore it was pointed out that this situation was similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, since the time between the advance warning and the arrival of the missiles in case of a first strike from Europe was reduced to few minutes for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The possibility of a "war by mistake" and nuclear holocaust was heightened significantly. One of the many slogans used by the peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
referred to "Make Love Not War" and the name of the American middle range weapons: "Petting instead of Pershing".
Supporters of the Double-Track Decision pointed out that in case of a Russian SS-20, a counter strike by NATO could only be performed by American intercontinental ballistic missile, which would lead to an automatic escalation of the conflict. In any case, the Pershing II was unsuitable as a first strike weapon, since it couldn't reach Russian rocket facilities beyond the Ural Mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
and poses no threat to the strategic submarines.
The disarmament negotiations which started on November 30, 1981 remained without conclusion. The German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
agreed to the deployment in 1983, whereupon the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
aborted the negotiations.
On December 8, 1987 the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. Signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987, it was ratified by the United States Senate on May 27, 1988 and...
was signed between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
which provided the destruction of all middle range weapons and ended this episode of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.