NUCLEAR COMMAND AND CONTROL IN NATO

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Nuclear Command and Control in NATO Nuclear Weapons Operations and the Strategy of Flexible Response

Shaun R. Gregory Lecturer Department of Peace Studies University of Bradford

First published in Great Britain 1996 by

MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-349-39607-8 ISBN 978-0-230-37910-7 (eBook)

DOl 10.1057/9780230379107

First published in the United States of America 1996 by

ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for

--- -- -- --------------------© Shaun R. Gregory 1996 Soficover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1996 978-0-333-64697-7

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written pemlission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written pennission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the tenns of any licence pemlitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WI P 9HE.

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable 10 criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages_

10 9 8 7 6 05 04 03 02 01

5 4 3 2 I 00 99 98 97 96

For Tracey Jayne Gregory

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Contents

List of Figures viii

Acknowledgements ix

List of Abbreviations x

Introduction 1

1 Political Control of Nuclear Weapons in NATO 15

2 Nuclear Command and Control in NATO 51

3 US Nuclear Command and Control in NATO 80

4 Command and Control of British Nuclear Weapons 103

5 French Nuclear Command and Control 130

6 Political Decision-Making in Crisis and War 149

Conclusion 192

Notes and References 201

Bibliography 229

Index 246

vn

List of Figures

2.1 NATO Civil and Military Command Structure 53 2.2 Allied Command Europe (ACE) Command Structure 55 2.3 NATO Central Region Area Corps Sectors 58 2.4 Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT) Command

Structure 59 2.5 Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) Command

Structure 61

vm

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Malcolm Dando and Paul Rogers for their support and encouragement over many years.

My thanks are also due to the following who in many diverse ways have helped me: William Arkin, Desmond Ball, Bruce Blair, Paul Bracken, William Burrows, Duncan Campbell, Malcolm Chalmers, Daniel Charles, Admiral Sir James Eberle, Lawrence Freedman, Owen Greene, William Hall, Paul Helm, Jolyon Howorth, Andrew Kelly, Stuart Kemp, Richard Ned Lebow, J. M. Legge, Milton Leitenberg, Malcolm Spaven, John Steinbruner, and Philip Weber. Responsibility for errors is, however, entirely my own.

I would also like to thank NATO and the MITRE Corporation for providing me with documentation and arranging visits, and the Center for Defense Information, Institute of Policy Studies, New Statesman and Society and the RAND Corporation for letting me look through relevant files.

Thanks are also due to the Charities Aid Foundation, the Rowntree Trust and the Sir Robert Menzies Fellowship for supporting parts of the research.

SHAUN R. GREGORY

IX

List of Abbreviations

AAFCE Allied Air Force Central Europe ACCHAN Allied Command Channel ACCS Air Command and Control System ACE Allied Command Europe ACE-HIGH ACE Troposcatter Communications Network ACENET ACE Communications Network ACLANT Allied Command Atlantic ADGE Air Defence Ground Environment ADM Atomic Demolition Munition (nuclear mine) AEC Atomic Energy Commission AEGIS Airborne Early Warning/Ground Environment

Integration Segment AEW Airborne Early Warning AFB Air Force Base AFCENT Allied Forces Central Europe AFNORTH Allied Forces Northern Europe AFSOUTH Allied Forces Southern Europe AMF(L) ACE Mobile Forces (Land) ANMCC Alternative National Military Command Centre AOC Air Officer Commanding ARP Alert Response Plan ASTARTE Avion Station Relais de Transmissions Exceptionelles

(France) ASW Anti-Submarine Warfare AUTODIN Automatic Digital Network AUTO VON Automatic Voice Network AWAC Airborne Warning and Control BAOR British Army on the Rhine BICES Battlefield Intelligence Collection and Exploitation

System BMEWS Ballistic Missile Early Warning System CCIS Command and Control Information System CDS Chief of Defence Staff CENTAG Central Army Group 'Chop' Transfer of NATO member's forces to operational

command of SACEUR

x

List of Abbreviations XI

CINCEUR CINCHAN CJCS CODA COEC COFAS

COTAM

DCN DCS DDN DEB DEFCON DOD DPC DSN DSCS DSSS DSP EAM EBAU EBS ECCCS EDG EMP ELF ERCS ETS FATAC FSL GEP GOP GPG GPS GWEN HF IDCSP IFF IMS IONDS

Commander in Chief Europe Commander in Chief Channel Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Centre d'Operations de la Defense Aeriennes (France) Command Operations and Exercise Committee Centre d'Operations des Forces Aeriennes Strategiques (France) Commandement du Transport Aerien Militaire (France) Defence Communications Network Defense Communications System Digital Defence Network Digital European Backbone Defence Condition Department of Defense (US) Defence Planning Committee Defence Switched Network Defense Satellite Communications System Defence Secure Speech System (UK) Defense Support Program (satellites) Emergency Action Message Extended Battlefield Area Use Emergency Broadcast System European Command and Control Console System European Deterrent Group Electromagnetic Pulse Extremely Low Frequency (radio) Emergency Rocket Communications System European Telephone System Force Aerienne Tactique (France) Field Storage Locations Ground Entry Point Generated Operations Plan General Political Guidelines Global Positioning System Ground Wave Emergency Network High Frequency (radio) Initial Defence Communication Satellite Program Identification Friend or Foe International Military Staff Integrated Operational NUDET Detection System

xii List of Abbreviations

IVSN JCEC JCS JSTARS JSTPS LAN LDU LERTCON LF LNO MAO MC MCC MEECN

MLF MNC MOD MSC NAC NACISC

NADGE NAEWF NARRS NATO NCA NCCDPC

NCEB NCP NDAC NEACP NICS NICSMA NJCEC

NMCC NMCS NOP NORAD

Initial Voice Switched Network Joint Communications and Electronics Committee Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff Local Area Network Limited Defensive Use Alert Condition Low Frequency (radio) Limited Nuclear Option Major Attack Option Military Council Missile Control Centre Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network Multilateral Nuclear Force Major NATO Command Ministry of Defence (UK) Major Subordinate Command North Atlantic Council NATO Communications and Information Systems Committee NATO Air Defence Ground Environment NATO Airborne Early Warning Force North Atlantic Radio Relay System North Atlantic Treaty Organisation National Command Authority NATO Command and Control and Data Processing Committee NATO Communications and Electronics Board Nuclear Capability Plan Nuclear Defence Affairs Committee National Emergency Airborne Command Post NATO Integrated Communications System NICS Management Agency NATO Joint Communications and Electronics Committee National Military Command Centre National Military Command System Nuclear Operations Plan North American Air Defence

List of Abbreviations xm

NORTHAG Northern Army Group NPG Nuclear Planning Group NSC National Security Council NSTDB National Strategic Target Database NSTL National Strategic Target List NSVN NATO Secure Voice Network NUDET Nuclear Detonation Detection System NWAS Nuclear Weapon Accounting System NWS Nuclear Weapon Storage Site OTH-B Over-The-Horizon Backscatter (radar) PACCS Post Attack Command and Control System PAL Permissive Action Link PNL Prescribed Nuclear Load PNS Prescribed Nuclear Stockage PPG Provisional Political Guidelines PSC Principle Subordinate Command PTT Post, Telegraph and Telecommunications (commercial

communications) QRA Quick Reaction Alert RAMSES Reseau Amont Maille Strategique et de Suivre (France) RBAU Restricted Battlefield Area Use RITA Reseau Integre de Transmissions Automatiques

(France) RNO Regional Nuclear Options SAC Strategic Air Command SACEUR Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACLANT Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic SAO Selective Attack Option SASP Special Ammunition Supply Points SATCOM Satellite Communications SCARS SACEUR Control Alerting and Reporting System SDS Survivable Defence System SEP Selective Employment Package SHAPE Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe SIOP Single Integrated Operational Plan SITCEN Situation Centre SLFCS Survivable Low Frequency Communications System SSBN Nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarine SSIP Sub System Integration Project STRIDA Systeme de Traitement et de Representation des

Informations de Defense Aeriennes (France)

XIV List of Abbreviations

TACAMO Take Charge and Move Out' (US SSBN Airborne Command Post System)

TARE Telegraph Automatic Relay Equipment TNF Theatre Nuclear Forces TTM Terrestrial Transmission Media TWU Theatre Wide Use UHF Ultra High Frequency (radio) UKADGE UK Air Defence Ground Environment VHF Very High Frequency (radio) VLF Very Low Frequency (radio) WEU Western European Union WHIDDS War Headquarters Information Display and

Dissemination System WIS WWMCCS Information System WWMCCS World Wide Military Command and Control System