Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

One of the most important factors will be the imbalance
of non-strategic nuclear weapons. In support
of its arms control interests <strong>and</strong> interest in strategic
stability more generally, the United States should pursue
a much broader <strong>and</strong> more ambitious set of strategic
dialogues with not just Russia but also China <strong>and</strong>
U.S. allies in both Europe <strong>and</strong> Asia.
TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN EUROPE
How Many <strong>Tactical</strong> <strong>Nuclear</strong> <strong>Weapons</strong> Exist Today
in Europe?
The distinction between strategic <strong>and</strong> TNWs is not
easy to make because the weapon purposes (such as
targets <strong>and</strong> missions) <strong>and</strong> the technical characteristics
(such as range, yield, <strong>and</strong> deployment) as between
the United States <strong>and</strong> Russia are different in many
cases, reflecting differences in their geographical,
strategic, <strong>and</strong> political postures. Early on, the Soviet
Union <strong>and</strong> the United States came to consider nuclear
weapons based on their own territory that could be
delivered with long-range missiles or bombers against
the enemy’s homel<strong>and</strong> as “strategic.” Consequently,
one simplifying approach has been to define tactical
nuclear weapons as all nuclear warheads which are
not covered by strategic nuclear arms control treaties.
But certainly other operational characteristics (such as
deployment status, weapon readiness, proximity to
delivery system, etc.) are also important for future reduction
talks. Despite the fact that both Russia <strong>and</strong> the
United States have reduced their TNW stockpile more
than envisaged under PNIs, neither has disclosed
exact data about the numbers, status <strong>and</strong> location of
these weapons.
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