US Nuclear Weapons in Europe - Natural Resources Defense Council

U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe • Hans M. Kristensen/Natural Resources Defense Council, 2005
Short of reducing nuclear weapons across the board or withdrawing them altogether, the
most likely outcome may be the removal of the remaining nuclear weapons from hostnation
bases. Under that scenario, only the United States would continue to store nuclear
weapons at its main operating bases in Europe. The persistent emphasis by NATO
officials about the principle of burden-sharing would appear to argue against this option,
but it is the direction that NATO has been moving toward for years. Since 1993,
Munitions Support Squadrons (MUNSS) have been withdrawn from all or some of
German, Greek, Italian, and Turkish air bases and the nuclear weapons moved to the
main U.S. operating base in the area. To complete this transition, the MUNSS at Kleine
Brogel Air Base in Belgium, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, Büchel Air Base in
Germany, and Ghedi Torre Air Base in Italy could be transferred to main U.S. operating
bases in each area or returned to the United States.
The BRAC process coincides with another major review in 2005: The Quadrennial
Defense Review (QDR). Launched every four years, the congressionally mandated QDR
reviews the nation’s defense strategy, budget, force structure and modernization plans.
Nuclear forces are also reviewed, but both the Clinton and Bush administrations
conducted separate Nuclear Posture Reviews in 1994 and 2001, respectively. The Bush
administrations planned a new Nuclear Posture Review for 2005, but this now appears to
have been combined with the 2005 QDR. The deployment in Europe will likely be
reviewed again as part of the QDR.
Whether or not the BRAC or QDR
process results in a reduction, the most
serious challenge to the continued
deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons
in Europe ironically comes from
NATO itself. In June 2004, a little
noticed “issue paper” published by
NATO disclosed that the readiness
level of the nuclear strike aircraft had
been reduced to “months” rather than
weeks, days, or hours. 218 During the
Cold War, the readiness level was
measured in minutes (for a small
number of aircraft on quick-alert) and
in hours or days for the remaining
force. Under the new and reduced
readiness level implemented in 2002,
Table 11:
NATO Nuclear Aircraft Readiness
NATO says it has reduced the number and the readiness
level of its nuclear strike aircraft in Europe, most
recently in 2003. Source: NATO.
it would supposedly take “months” for NATO to use the fighter-bombers to launch a
nuclear strike (see Table 11).
A readiness level of “months” suggests that some of the mechanical and electronic
equipment on the fighter aircraft needed to arm and deliver the nuclear bombs may have
been removed and placed in storage.
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