Retiring Trident

Retiring Trident
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5 – A 21st century UK nuclear force
NATO Dual-Capable Aircraft (DCA) Programme
In the post-Cold War era, approximately 180 B61s 187 are the only American
nuclear weapons still deployed in Europe. 188 Aside from British and
French national nuclear forces, NATO’s B61-equipped Dual-Capable Aircraft
(DCA) provide NATO’s only nuclear burden-sharing with the USA. As
tactical nuclear weapons initially designed for attacking invading Warsaw
Pact armoured forces, questions have been raised about the cost 189 and
the military utility 190 of NATO’s current DCA mix of B61 Mod 3 (B61-3) and
B61 Mod 4 (B61-4) weapons 191 in a post-Cold War world. 192 It is important
to set out why the 2012 Chicago NATO Summit agreed to continue
the DCA programme. 193
A major driver for renewing the DCA programme are the security concerns
of Baltic and central and eastern European “New NATO” member
states. 194 “New NATO“ members are debarred from hosting NATO
nuclear weapons themselves under the 1997 “Founding Act on Mutual
Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian
Federation”. 195 Given increased Russian adventurism (e.g. in Ukraine),
these states have a particular interest in NATO’s nuclear-backed Article
V guarantee. Hence, B61-equipped DCA provides a tangible evidence of
NATO’s nuclear guarantee, as well as a political signalling tool of intent
and nuclear burden-sharing.
It is for this combination of reasons that Chicago’s 2012 NATO Summit
agreed to continue the DCA programme with the enhanced B61-12. 196
Integration of the new B61-12 as an unguided weapon is scheduled to
begin on existing NATO DCA aircraft in 2015 for completion in 2017/18. 197
In the early 2020s, the B61-12 will directly replace the current DCA mix
of B61-3 and B61-4 weapons. B61-12’s precision capabilities require integration
with the F-35’s digital avionics, or the creation of a bespoke
aircraft to weapon interface adaptor. 198
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