Military Identities, Conventional Capability and the Politics of NATO Standardisation at the Beginning of the Second Cold War, 1970–1980. Issue 4 (4th July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ford, Matthew; Gould, Alex
• Is Part Of: International history review. Volume 41:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 775
• Page End: 792
• Publication Date: 2019-07-04
• Subjects: NATO standardisation -- alliance politics -- defence industrial policy; History -- Periodicals; Histoire; History; Internationale politiek; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 905
• DOI: 10.1080/07075332.2018.1452776
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0707-5332

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper uses equipment standardisation as a lens for examining power relationships and the importance of military identity in framing the development of NATO conventional capability. In the face of the Warsaw Pact's overwhelming military capacity the logic of standardisation was compelling. Standardising equipment and making military forces interoperable reduced logistics overlap, increased the tempo of operations and allowed partners to optimise manufacturing capacity. Applied carefully, standardisation would help NATO mount a successful conventional defence of Western Europe, a crucial aspect of the Alliance's flexible response strategy. In this paper, we apply Actor Network Theory to standardisation discussions thereby revealing the incoherence and volatility of NATO's collective strategic thinking and the vast networks of countervailing interests on which this is based.