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

CHAPTER 17
ROLE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN <strong>NATO</strong>’S
DETERRENCE AND DEFENSE POSTURE
REVIEW: PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE
Guy B. Roberts 1
I do think the principles of the <strong>NATO</strong> discussion [on
<strong>NATO</strong>’s nuclear posture] are already clear: first, that
no Ally will take unilateral decisions; second, that as
long as there are nuclear weapons in the world, <strong>NATO</strong>
will need a nuclear deterrent. 2
—<strong>NATO</strong> Secretary General
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(<strong>NATO</strong>) revealed it was going to issue a new Strategic
Concept for the 21st century at the 2010 Lisbon,
Portugal, Summit, there was much anticipation that
is would announce deep cuts in the numbers of U.S.
nuclear weapons based in Europe or at a minimum a
major policy shift entailing a significantly reduced role
for nuclear weapons in ensuring the common defense
<strong>and</strong> security of the Alliance. Instead, the new Strategic
Concept echoed the language of the 1991 <strong>and</strong> 1999
Strategic Concepts in stating that to protect <strong>and</strong> defend
against the full range of today’s security threats, the
Alliance will “maintain a mix of conventional <strong>and</strong>
nuclear forces.” 3 Recognizing, however, the complex
<strong>and</strong> changing security environment involving new
threats (cyber-attacks for example) <strong>and</strong> new capabilities
(missile defense), the heads of state tasked the
North Atlantic Council (NAC) to undertake a review
of <strong>NATO</strong>’s deterrence <strong>and</strong> defense posture (hereinafter
referred to as the DDPR) <strong>and</strong> provide a report at
the next <strong>NATO</strong> summit scheduled for May 20, 2012.
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