Showing papers on "Retrenchment published in 1972"
Book•
01 Jan 1972
19 citations
01 Jan 1972
TL;DR: The British defence policy in 1955 was the desire to create an effective nuclear capability, the belief that in Europe the Soviet threat might be lessening but that elsewhere in the Middle East it might increase, and the conviction that the current defence programme was still beyond the nation's resources as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The paramount considerations guiding British defence policy in 1955 were the desire to create an effective nuclear capability, the belief that in Europe the Soviet threat might be lessening but that elsewhere — and especially in the Middle East — it might increase, and the conviction that the current defence programme was still beyond the nation’s resources. Fortunately only Cyprus was demanding more manpower, and if the NATO commitment remained constant, elsewhere from Austria to Korea reductions were taking place. Technologically the arrival of the thermo-nuclear era promised some savings in the future, if only because preparation for a long war had become superfluous. On the other hand, with air warfare about to move into the supersonic age, and perhaps soon into that of the missile, technological development could add enormous burdens to defence spending.