National Armies and NATO, 1949-1991

For almost half a century, NATO’s armies deterred a Soviet attack on Western Europe. Today, they once again provide a check on Russia’s revanchist agenda. As in the Cold War, if Russia’s aggression escalates to armed conflict, the Alliance’s armies will likely bear the brunt of the fighting. Thus, a study of the national armies that comprised NATO during the Cold War has both historical and current relevance.

Each chapter offers an analysis of how the respective constituent NATO army balanced its commitments to the alliance with other, often more pressing national priorities. Both individually and collectively, these chapters address questions that are still important today. How did national armies benefit from membership in NATO, and how did NATO membership impede their national obligations? How did NATO membership effect its constituent armies’ strategy, force structure, doctrine, and procurement? How did national armies reconcile disagreements with other national forces, some of which long predated NATO membership? By providing a comparative study of NATO’s armies, this volume provides both a long-needed historical assessment and essential understanding of the problems facing the alliance and its members today.

Jan Hoffenaar is Head, Research Department of the Netherlands Institute of Military History (MOD) in The Hague, and professor in Military History at Utrecht University. He is specialized in the political and military aspects of the Cold War, in ‘East’ as well as in ‘West’, and in Dutch military history.

Brian McAllister Linn is the Ralph R. Thomas Professor in Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. He is the author of six books including Real Soldiering: The US Army in the Aftermath of War, 1815-1980 (2023) and over fifty articles and book chapters.