Troops and nuclear-war risk

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33276, 13 July 1973, Page 13

Troops and nuclear-war risk

I (N.Z.P A.-Reuter— Copyright) j i WASHINGTON, j July 12. The United States Secretary of Defence (Mr James Schlesinger) told Congress yesterday that cutting back United States troops in Europe by 50,000 to 150,000 men would risk forcing “an early recourse to the use of nuclear weapons” in any attack, the Associated Press reported. “Such a reduction,” he! ; told the House of Representa-' I fives’ Foreign Affairs Com-; ,mittee, “would destroy the; (hopes we have for a stalwart' defence.” And. he said, a strong nonnuclear as well as a nuclear deterrent was needed “in order not to hold out to the Soviet Union the possibility of adventure at minimum cost,

and in order to push awayi the possibility of nuclear . war.” Mr Schlesinger added: “Noji one wants war. If we take,; appropriate steps, we need jI not expect a war. But war is 1 less likely if we have both ; nuclear and non-nuclear i deterrents.” Mr Schlesinger specified that i he was talking about reduc- ■ tion figures being used by ' some Congressmen of 50,000 i to 150,000 soldiers after a Representative, Mr Dante ' Fascell, (Democrat, Florida): accused him of saying that the United States must risk! use of nuclear weapons or' make no troop reduction in) Europe at all. Mr Schlesinger agreed that I a small force reduction would; not force reliance on nuclear' weapons in the earlv stages; 'of an attack against Western! ;Europe—but he said that, Congress should make no) one-sided United States reduction with United States- j Soviet talks on mutual troop; reduction starting on Oct-; ober 30.

He said that a one-sided American reduction would; both take away any Soviet; incentive to reduce its forces j and damage the United States’ effort to get its West European allies to take over a greater share of their own defence. Arked what he would con- I sider moderate reduction of what he said were 307,000 United States troops now stationed in Europe, Mr Schlesinger replied "no more than 5 per cent.” But he told journalists that he was giving only a theoretical figure to a theoretical question. He repeated that he believed Congress should make no cuts in the American force in Europe in view of the forthcoming United Sta’es-Sovjet talks. The Defence Secretary said “It is not unreasonable to assume that the United I States-Soviet talks will achieve a lower force level jby both sides in Europe.” ! But he said several times [during the hearing that '“reductions on both sides

should be such that there not be any deterioration in balance on both sides.” Mr Schlesinger said that while progress toward a United States-Soviet detente has been encouraging, it "has yet to reflect itself fully in the stabilisation of the military balance.” While such fruits of detente as the arms limitation agreement had been reached, he said "the Soviet Union is continuing to improve both its strategic and general purpose forces." Admiral Thomas Moorer, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Andrew Goodpaster, Supreme Allied Commander iof the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (N.A.T.0.), both ; characterised the United ' States’ force stationed in Europe as preventing Work War 111. for 28 years. ■ General Goodnaster saic 'that the Russians "havi shown that they have thi capability of pursing detent; and defence at the sam; l time.”