Improving NATO's Interoperability through U.S. Precision Weapons

The U.S. has combined advances in stealth, information integration, and precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to produce significant lethality in its air forces. These advanced weapon systems are contributing to a widening technology gap between the United States and its allies. This widening gap has raised concern in NATO as it considers expanding its membership. After making some reasonable assumptions on what NATO countries are capable of affording and procuring, it appears that NATO can most readily increase its precision weapons capability to narrow the technology gap. This paper compares and contrasts two U.S. advanced precision weapons capabilities, the Paveway LGBs using "buddy-lasing" tactics and the JDAM, against the criteria of training, cost, interoperability, and force multiplication. With the present NATO force structure, it appears that in the short-term the Paveway LGB "buddy-lasing" tactic offers the best solution; the JDAM is a better investment in the long-term. By procuring these options, America's allies should be able to play a larger role in NATO operations.