MUNICH : Defensive Thinking

Senior officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the former Warsaw Pact nations will gather in Germany this weekend for a privately organized defense studies symposium.

Called the Wehrkundetagung, the annual session traditionally attracts some of the finest military thinkers and strategists, including defense ministers, for private discussions.

While there is no set agenda, observers say the main topics will include NATO’s military reaction in Bosnia, the effect of defense budget reductions and the outlook for President Clinton’s new “Partnership for Peace,” bringing Eastern European nations into a closer relationship with NATO.