Office of the Historian

65. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford1

Washington, December 16, 1974.

SUBJECT

  • U.S. Force Commitments to NATO

Each country which provides forces to NATO submits, annually, a five-year force plan in response to the NATO Defense Planning Questionnaire (DPQ). This response actually commits forces for the first year of the plan and projects intentions for the remaining four years. The U.S. response to the CY 1974 NATO Defense Planning Questionnaire (DPQ–74) was released to NATO in September without a White House review. Although formal review is not required, it has been customary, when major changes were to be announced, for the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to clear the DPQ reply in advance.

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The DPQ–74 reply contained no major reductions for FY 75 but did project a planned reduction in aircraft carrier availability both in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic in 1976 and beyond. Defense says this reduced availability reflects the planned reduction from 15 to 12 carriers in 1976 and the absence of home ports overseas. This will be a subject of major concern to our allies even though the carrier reduction is at this point only a plan.

In order to assure that the carrier reduction issue gets a thorough airing before next year’s submission and to clarify the procedure for White House review of proposed major changes to U.S. forces committed to NATO, I have prepared a memorandum from you to the Secretary of Defense requesting that he submit future DPQ responses to the NSC for review prior to release to NATO.

Recommendation

That you sign the memorandum at Tab A.

  1. Summary: Kissinger discussed the U.S. response to the NATO Defense Planning Questionnaire.

    Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Agency Files, Box 13, NATO, 12/11/74–2/21/75. Secret. Attached but not published is Tab A, a December 24 memorandum to Schlesinger that Ford signed. A stamped notation on Kissinger’s memorandum indicates the President saw it.

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