US APPROACH TOWARD ENHANCING THE ALLIED CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEFENSE OF NATO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01500R000200140008-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 11, 2000
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 3, 1975
• Content Type: MEMO

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- . ri.MORANDUM .W
"' . CONFIDENTIAL
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL'
May 3, 1975
National Security Decision Memorandum 293
TO: The Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Commerce
The Deputy Secretary of State
SUBJECT: US Approach toward Enhancing the Allied Contribution
to the Defense of NATO
The President has reviewed our past efforts to encourage our NATO
Allies to enhance their contribution to the defense of Europe and to
obtain offsets for US budgetary and balance of payments costs in
Europe. He has decided to seek another offset agreement with the
FIG, provided that the, FRO does not strongly object in principle
to a new' agreement. But in general, given.the recent change in the
world monetary system and in economic conditions, greater emphasis
should be given to encouraging our NATO Allies to increase the
quality and effectiveness of their own forces than to efforts to offset
US balance of payments and budgetary costs.
Our AlUcs should be encouraged to Increase their defense expendi-
tures, to undertake force improvement programs to upgrade their
military hardware, and, most importantly, to make more effective
use of existing defense r'es'ources by reducing the overlap and duplica-
tion that exists in many areas of NATO activity.
Representatives of the US Government should emphasize to our'
NATO Allies that their efforts to strengthen their own forces, pa.rticu-
larly through measures increasing the cost-effectiveness of NATO's
overall defense capability, will be viewed by the US Government as
? their most significant contribution to the sharing of the burden of
NATO defense. In discussing this issue; with Congress, members of
the Executive 'Branch should stress that such efforts by our NATO
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Allies both it1crease the Allies' share of the common defense and add
to the protection of our own security interests in Europe. Finally,
the analysis contained in the 24 March 1975 DPRC paper on Burden-
sharing in the Atlantic Alliance should be used in explaining the
reduced rtalative importance of budgetary and balance of payments
offset.
Henry A. Kissinger
cc: The Director, Office of Management and Budget
The Chairman, Council of Economic Advisors
The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Dire8tor of Central Intelligence
The Director, Council on International Economic Policy
CONt'IDENTI.L - XODS (3)
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