![]() NATO also rejects a policy of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons. Ultimately, this means that the UK’s nuclear weapons could be used against a country attacking (or threatening to attack) one of the alliance member states since an attack on one NATO member state is seen as being an attack on all member states. Articles 1 and 2 of the NPT forbid the transfer of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear weapon states, but Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey are all non-nuclear.Įven though the UK does not host US bombs any more, the UK’s nuclear weapons system has been assigned to NATO since the 1960s. Having US nuclear bombs in Europe conflicts with the legal obligations of the signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In December 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even threatened to close the base, which would leave the status of the nuclear weapons unclear. ![]() While Turkey is officially an ally of the US, and a member of NATO, increased tensions in recent months have highlighted the potential risks of the current situation. Particularly worrying is that the base is less than 70 miles from war-torn Syria. The wisdom of storing such a large nuclear weapons stockpile in such a volatile region must be in doubt. This ended 50 years of US nuclear weapons in Britain.Īn estimated 50 bombs are stored at the Incirlik air base in Turkey. Up to 20 nuclear bombs are stored at each of the following: the Kleine Brogel air base in Belgium, the Büchel Air Base in Germany, and the Volkel air base in the Netherlands.Īround 70 bombs are stored in Italy, distributed between the Aviano and Ghedi air bases.ġ00 of these bombs had been stored at RAF Lakenheath in East Anglia, but were removed in 2008, following persistent popular protest at the airbase. Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have all, unsuccessfully, called for the removal of US nuclear weapons from their countries. There is strong opposition to these weapons being sited in Europe, including from some of the host nation governments. But as the Cold War ended, and these states became part of the European Union and in some cases NATO itself, the practice has become provocative, destabilising and dangerous. When these bombs were initially deployed, the original targets were eastern European states. Both host country and the US would then need to approve the use of the weapons, which would be launched on the former’s airplanes. In peace time, the nuclear weapons stored in non-nuclear countries are guarded by US forces, with a dual code system activated in a time of war. The nuclear sharing arrangement is part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) defence policy. Their presence escalates international tensions, and the weapons should be removed as part of efforts for a world without nuclear weapons. Approximately 150 American B-61 nuclear gravity bombs are stationed in five countries in Europe: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey. ![]()
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