Multilateral Force
The Multilateral Force (MLF) was an American proposal to produce a fleet of
History
The proposal was inspired by complaints of NATO countries that the nuclear defense of Europe was beholden to the Americans, who held the bulk of nuclear capability.[2] The proposed fleet of warships would be crewed and operated by NATO command, instead of an assortment of independent forces ultimately under their own national banners. In this way, other NATO powers were theoretically ensured an active role in European defense.[3]
The idea of using surface ships as part of the force received criticism in Europe, who felt that surface ships would be vulnerable to attack, while a wholly submarine force would be more difficult to eliminate. President Kennedy argued that using only submarines would defeat the purpose of minimizing American control of the force, as the United States was the primary power capable of building the requisite number of submarines and training their crews. Including surface vessels would allow for greater European involvement in both construction and training, argued Kennedy, who also dismissed the notion that an entire pan-Europe nuclear-armed fleet could be eliminated before any of them could commit retaliatory strikes.
The proposal eventually fell flat when American and European differences over basing strategies and financing could not be reconciled. The
The prospect of having West Germany in the Multilateral Force was mocked by Tom Lehrer in the satirical song "MLF Lullaby".
MLF experiment on USS Claude V. Ricketts
From June 1964 to the end of 1965
See also
- European Defence Community- an unsuccessful proposal of the early 1950s to create a multinational European army
- Nuclear sharing - a similar policy currently in practice.
References
- ^ Paul Y. Hammond, LBJ and the Presidential Management of Foreign Relations (1993) excerpt pp 108–143.
- ^ Kohl, Wilfrid L. “Nuclear Sharing in Nato and the Multilateral Force.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 80, no. 1, Academy of Political Science, Wiley, 1965, pp. 88–109, JSTOR website Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ Bouwmann, Bastiaan. Present at the Undoing: The Netherlands and the Multilateral Force, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, 5 November 2013. Web. 5 November 2013.
- ^ Lundquist, Edward. Sea Classics. Mixed Manning Demonstration was a Success: Guided-Missile Destroyer Sailed with Multinational Crew. September 2006.
Further reading
- Buchan, Alastair. "The Multilateral Force: a study in alliance politics." International Affairs 40.4 (1964): 619-637. online
- Hammond, Paul Y. LBJ and the Presidential Management of Foreign Relations (1993) excerpt; pp 108–143.
- Kissinger, Henry A. The Troubled Partnership: A Reappraisal of the Atlantic Alliance (1965) pp 127–160.
- Kohl, Wilfrid L. "Nuclear sharing in NATO and the multilateral force." Political science quarterly 80.1 (1965): 88-109. online
- Priest, Andrew. "'In Common Cause': The NATO Multilateral Force and the Mixed-Manning Demonstration on the USS Claude V. Ricketts, 1964-1965." Journal of Military History 69.3 (2005): 759-788.
External links
- Tom Lehrer performing MLF Lullaby in the 1960s
- Solomon, James. The Multilateral Force: America's Nuclear Solution for NATO (1960-1965). (Abstract)
- Kennedy, John F. News Conference 51.
- JFK Library Releases 1963 White House Recordings
- Article and primary sources on the Multilateral Force at the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project