This paper examines the relationship that France has with NATO through its policy of nuclear deterrence in a European context, with a focus on France’s most recent “White Paper”.
NATO’s Nuclear Posture
Theater Nuclear Weapons – A Direct Threat to European Security
BASIC has had a lot to say over the years about U.S. theater nuclear weapons (TNW) in Europe. (I will repeat here, ad nauseam for some, that it is a grave mistake to call such weapons ‘tactical’; any deliberate nuclear explosion must have strategic consequences. ‘Theater’, meanwhile, simply denotes their basing posture and connotes their intended use, from within a military theater of operations.)
The NATO Alliance: Rethinking Reassurance
Recently, BASIC hosted two events centered around NATO’s nuclear posture burden-sharing. One of the underlying concerns from representatives of NATO member-states was that of reassurance.
NATO’s future nuclear posture
This roundtable event held on July 25th, 2013 in Washington, D.C., included a small group of experts and representatives from a number of NATO member states. They discussed the future of NATO’s nuclear posture and engagement with Russia on arms control and nuclear weapons – building upon workshops previously held in Moscow and Brussels in 2012 and 2013.
Summary of Roundtable Discussion on “NATO’s Future Nuclear Posture”
This paper highlights the main themes arising from a roundtable discussion held on July 25th, 2013 in Washington, D.C., which brought a small group of experts together with representatives from a number of NATO member states to discuss the future of NATO’s nuclear posture and engagement with Russia on arms control and nuclear weapons.
Why is NATO Stuck?
The recent publication of Nuclear Policy Paper No. 14, Countdown to Chaos?, marks the completion of a series of cooperative reports by BASIC, the Arms Control Association (ACA) and the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH) on NATO’s nuclear weapons and their future.
New NATO Policy Publication: Countdown to Chaos?
NATO’s nuclear sharing program is in trouble. The United States has continuously maintained nuclear weapons in Europe since March 1954 (and NATO has agreed to this policy since December of that year). Since 1991, the only U.S. nuclear weapons in NATO’s arsenal have been B61 gravity bombs, designed for delivery to target by “dual-capable” fighter-bomber aircraft (DCA). These aircraft are rapidly reaching the end of their normal service lives, however, and are the only means by which NATO shares the threat of nuclear attack on potential opponents in times of crisis among several Allied nations.
Countdown to Chaos?: Timelines and Implications of Procurement Decisions for NATO’s Dual-Capable Aircraft
NATO's nuclear sharing program is in trouble. The United States has continuously maintained nuclear weapons in Europe since March 1954 (and NATO has agreed to this policy since December of that year). Since 1991, the only U.S. nuclear weapons in NATO’s arsenal have been B61 gravity bombs, designed for delivery to target by “dual-capable” fighter-bomber aircraft (DCA). These aircraft are rapidly reaching the end of their normal service lives, however, and are the only means by which NATO shares the threat of nuclear attack on potential opponents in times of crisis among several Allied nations.