This study attempts to determine whether or not the existing conventional military forces and defense systems in North America are adequate both to meet commitments to NATO in the event of a major European conflict and provide for continental security. Investigation reveals that Canada is weakly defended relative to the capabilities of the USSR to project forces onto her territory. Thus, should the USSR choose to exploit this vulnerability by executing rear area military operations on the North American flank at the outset of a NATO-Warsaw Pact conflict, she could succeed in diverting crucial U.S. and Canadian reinforcements away from their primary missions on the battlefields of Europe.

ADA 094983 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)