Rumsfeld asks Nato to develop 'rogue state' strike force   Â

The United States will outline plans today to transform Nato from a defensive military pact into an alliance with a 20,000-strong rapid reaction force able to tackle rogue states and terrorist threats.

The proposal, to be unveiled at a meeting in Warsaw, could be the last chance for the 19-nation alliance to rescue itself from irrelevance in the aftermath of 11 September.

But the American plan will present an acute dilemma for several Nato countries, with Germany and France uneasy at Washington's apparent desire to see alliance forces take pre-emptive action against ill-defined terrorist threats.

Berlin and Paris may want guarantees that a Nato rapid reaction force would act only in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

America's blueprint for reform will be presented by Donald Rumsfeld, its Defence Secretary, who will also use the meeting to canvass support for a military strike against Baghdad. But Iraq will not be on the formal agenda, which centres on the need to revamp Nato's forces and structures.

Mr Rumsfeld envisages a force of 20,000 US, Canadian, European and Turkish troops being on stand-by at all times, ready to deploy within one to four weeks anywhere in the world.

Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the Polish Defence Minister, said Washington wanted to create a force with three main elements: ground troops, Awacs radar planes and shared allied intelligence.

Naval forces are expected to be included in the unit, which would be equipped with protection against chemical and biological warfare. Another Nato source said the unit would be "capable of going anywhere to do certain tasks, to fight its way in and leading for others to follow".

The idea blends two themes: concern about rogue states and weapons of mass destruction, and the need for Nato to reform its outdated, Cold War structures and outlook. A Nato diplomat said: "We don't need static forces waiting for an attack from eastern Europe, we have to target terrorism and weapons of mass destruction ... What is required are agile and responsive forces and command structures".

Officials expect the American plan to get a broad welcome in principle. One Nato diplomat argued: "No Nato country has the money to update and if we were, multilaterally, to finance certain capabilities, and if we had a rapid reaction force which would use these capabilities, Nato's military importance could be strengthened."

But the issues of how and when a rapid reaction force would be deployed and whether it would take pre-emptive action are more divisive. Britain is among those supportive of a tough American stance.

Nato officials have played down fears that the unit would be a rival to the 60,000-strong rapid reaction force planned by the EU and due to be operational next year.

The European project is designed for peace-keeping and crisis intervention duties rather than to act as an aggressive fighting force.

Many of the same capabilities are required for both forces, meaning that troops or equipment earmarked by European nations for the Nato rapid reaction unit could also be used for EU missions.