KEY POINTS:
LONDON - The West must be prepared to carry out pre-emptive nuclear strikes to halt the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, a radical new manifesto argues.
The document - written by five of the West's most senior military officers and strategists - has been presented to the Pentagon and Nato's secretary-general.
They argue there is a need for urgent and comprehensive reform of Nato, the Guardian reports.
A new pact - involving the United States, Nato and the European Union - was also essential to face the challenges ahead, they said.
The manifesto was likely to be discussed at a Nato summit in Bucharest, Romania, in April, the paper said.
The authors include some of the top defence minds in the West, including General John Shalikashvili, the former chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff and Nato's ex-supreme commander in Europe.
The others are General Klaus Naumann, Germany's former top soldier and ex-chairman of Nato's military committee; General Henk van den Breemen, a former Dutch chief of staff; Admiral Jacques Lanxade, a former French chief of staff; and Lord Inge, field marshal and ex-chief of the general staff and the defence staff in the United Kingdom.
The former armed forces chiefs from the US, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands insist that a "first strike" nuclear option remains an "indispensable instrument" as there is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world", the Guardian reports.
"The risk of further [nuclear] proliferation is imminent and, with it, the danger that nuclear war fighting, albeit limited in scope, might become possible," the authors wrote.
"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."
It identified a number of key threats to the West's values and way of life - including international terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and political fanaticism and religious fundamentalism.
It also cited the weakening of organisations such as the United Nations, Nato and the EU.
To prevail, they said, Nato's decision-taking methods must be overhauled, moving to a majority rather than a consensus model, putting an end to national vetoes.
A new "directorate" of US, European and Nato leaders must also be established to respond rapidly to crises.
The five also proposed the use of force without UN Security Council authorisation when "immediate action is needed to protect large numbers of human beings," the Guardian reported.
Ron Asmus, head of the German Marshall Fund thinktank in Brussels and a former senior US State Department official, described the manifesto as "a wake-up call".
He told the Guardian: "This report means that the core of the Nato establishment is saying we're in trouble, that the West is adrift and not facing up to the challenges".
THE THREATS
* Political and religious fanaticism.
* International terrorism, organised crime and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
* Climate change and potential mass migration.
* The weakening of the nation state and international organisations.
THE AUTHORS
* John Shalikashvili - former Nato commander in Europe and chairman of the United States joint chiefs of staff.
* Klaus Naumann - former German armed forces commander and chairman of Nato's militarycommittee.
* Lord Peter Inge - former chief of general staff and then chief of defence staff in Britain.
* Henk van den Breemen - former Dutch chief of staff.
* Jacques Lanxade - former French Navy chief and chief of defence staff.
- AAP
