British and French Strategic Forces: Response Options to Soviet Ballistic Missile Defense

The attitude of Europeans ¹ toward the U.S. guarantee to use nuclear weapons in defense of the alliance has varied during the years. At times, Europeans have feared that the United States seemed likely to use nuclear weapons too soon in any conflict in Europe, thereby leading to the destruction of Europe. At other times, especially since flexible response has been adopted as official NATO doctrine, Europeans have had doubts about whether the United States would ever use nuclear weapons to defend them.