Word: mightly
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...world. The Rapid Deployment Force, or RDF, will have no units specifically assigned to it; but the commander, a lieutenant general, will be able to draw on all the services, including the Marines and the Army's paratroopers, to form units tailored to meet any emergency. They might be as small as a battalion, or as large as several divisions. To transport the force, the U.S. will deploy intercontinental jumbo jets capable of landing on short runways almost anywhere in the world. By 1983 the Navy will have in service the first two of a fleet...
Briefing Senators on the new strategy, Defense Secretary Harold Brown emphasized the growing need for the U.S. to be able, should it choose, to bring military power to bear rapidly overseas. "In some cases," said Brown, "that might be to turn the tide of battle. In other cases -we would hope in most cases-that would be to deter the outbreak of fighting in the first place...
...from nuclear threats aimed at dominating Western Europe. In 1977, both Britain and West Germany called Washington's attention to the fact that the alliance, if it should suddenly become the target of a Soviet attack in Europe, could easily find itself in a nuclear dilemma: its response might be either too modest (perhaps with the use of battlefield nuclear artillery) or too devastating (an intercontinental ballistic missile strike at the Soviet Union from the U.S.). Furthermore, the Europeans are also fearful that in such an emergency, the U.S. might not respond at all. What was needed, they felt...
...parliamentary meeting, Foreign Minister Henri Simonet arrogantly declared that some of his party colleagues "would be better employed drawing comic strips than dealing with foreign affairs." In Denmark and Norway, some leftists also had strong reservations about the missile plan. For a while it looked as if NATO might degenerate into what the West Germans had always feared it could become if left alone to shoulder the nuclear responsibility: a two-tier organization of small powers and a "directorate" of larger ones...
...communique declared that NATO would press forward with the deployment of the missiles in "selected countries." NATO Secretary-General Joseph Luns confirmed that the countries were Britain, West Germany and Italy; he added that "Belgium and The Netherlands may accept the missiles later." Both recalcitrant countries said that they might well accept the missiles on their territory if there were no progress in disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union; Belgium said it would reconsider in six months, The Netherlands in two years...