NATO Must Be Ready to Strike 1st With Nukes: Manifesto

Top military strategists from the US and Europe say that NATO must be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear strike to keep the world safe, the Guardian reports. The five ex-military chiefs have issued a manifesto calling for a sweeping overhaul of NATO to deal with a world where the West faces many threats and nuclear war remains a very real possibility. They consider the "big stick" approach vital.

"The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction," said the manifesto. There is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world." The men, who include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs under former president Bill Clinton, wrote the document after talks with active military commanders who are prohibited from airing their views in public. (More NATO stories.)