MAGAZINE
FALL 2020
Concepts , Plans , and Deterrence :
A Retrospective Look
at NATO ’ s 1967 Strategic
Concept
By US Army Lieutenant Colonel Stephan PIKNER , LANDCOM G5
NATO continually strengthens its primary core task
AS of collective defence , lessons from the past may shed light on how best to organize for the future . While there are important differences between the Cold War threat of the Soviet Union and the security challenges facing the Alliance today , the history of NATO ’ s 1967 Strategic Concept and its subsequent operationalization may serve as a helpful guide to the creation and implementation of such a concept in the future .
NATO ’ s 1967 Strategic Concept On December 12 , 1967 NATO ’ s Military Committee ( MC ) adopted a Strategic Concept that sought to coherently , concisely , and comprehensively frame the Alliance ’ s approach to deterrence and defense . Entitled Overall Strategic Concept for the Defense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Area , MC 14 / 3 would serve as the foundation for Alliance efforts against the prevailing threat of the Soviet Union for the remainder of the Cold War . While in the intervening five decades the Soviet empire collapsed and NATO adapted to myriad of new challenges while doubling in size from fifteen to thirty members , the process of developing and implementing MC 14 / 3 still yields important insights for how NATO should defend and deter against threats to its constituent Nations ’ nearly one billion citizens . Rereading MC 14 / 3 half a century later is a fascinating study of how much has changed and how much remains the same . The 1967
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