U.S. Nuclear Weapons
on the Territories of 5 NATO States

Arsenal Size [1,2]

• 160-200 U.S. non-strategic gravity B-61 warheads.
• Six U.S. nuclear weapon facilities in five NATO countries: Belgium (10-20), Germany (10-20), Italy (60-70), Netherlands (10-20), and Turkey (60-70).
• Several sources indicate that an estimated 130 U.S. nuclear weapons at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany appear to have been removed in July 2007.[3]
• Several sources indicated in June 2008 that the United States had withdrawn nuclear weapons from the RAF Lankenheath air base where it is generally believed that 110 U.S. nuclear weapons were deployed.[4]

Weapons System [5,6]

• Non-strategic gravity bombs (B61-3, B61-4)
• Delivery system: U.S. F-15 E, F16C/D, Belgian, Dutch, and Turkish F-16s, and German and Italian PA-200 Tornado

Modernization

• The current B61-3 and B61-4 deployed in Europe are scheduled to be converted into B61-12 over the next decade.

Destructive Force [7]

• B-61-3: maximum yield of 170 Kt
• B-61-4: 45 Kt

Warheads Dismantled

• In 1971, U.S. nuclear warheads in Europe peaked at approximately 7,300. Since then, more than 7,000 warheads have been removed.[8]

Nuclear Weapons Related Policies

• 1999 NATO Strategic Concept confirms commitment to deploying nuclear weapons in Europe to maintain the "minimum level sufficient to preserve peace and stability."[9]
• While NATO continues to reaffirm the importance of deploying US nuclear weapons in Europe, disagreements among member states on this issue have become more pronounced since the German government expressed support for the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Germany and Europe in October 2009.[10]
• The Deterrence and Defense Posture Review adopted at the May 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago states that "the Alliance's nuclear force posture currently meets the criteria for an effective deterrence and defense posture." Therefore, some experts argue that the scheduled nuclear modernization contradicts this concept. [11]

Treaty Commitments

• The five NATO countries which share U.S. nuclear weapons are all parties to the NPT, PTBT, and CTBT. [12]

Use of Nuclear Weapons

• NATO adopts a policy of calculated ambiguity and does not determine in advance how it would react to aggression. [13]

Sources:
[1] Hans M. Kristensen, "Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons, Special Report No 3," Federation of American Scientists, May 2012, www.fas.org.
[2] Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, "U.S. Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe, 2011," Nuclear Notebook, Natural Resources Defense Council, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, December 2010, pp 64-73, http://thebulletin.metapress.com.
[3] Hans M. Kristensen, "Germany and NATO's Nuclear Dilemma," Federation of American Scientists, Strategic Security Blog, 29 October 2009, www.fas.org.
[4] Hans M. Kristensen, "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Withdrawn from the United Kingdom," Federation of American Scientists, Strategic Security Blog, 26 June 2008, www.fas.org.
[5] Hans M. Kristensen, "Status of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe 2010," Federation of American Scientists, 12 Feb 2010, www.fas.org.
[6] Hans M. Kristensen, "Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons, Special Report No 3," Federation of American Scientists, May 2012, www.fas.org.
[7] Hans M. Kristensen, "U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe," Natural Resources Defense Council, Feb. 2005, p. 9, www.nrdc.org.
[8] Hans M. Kristensen, "United States Removes Nuclear Weapons from German Base, Documents Indicates," Federation of American Scientists Strategic Security Blog, 9 July 2007, www.fas.org.
[9] "The Alliance's New Strategic Concept," NATO, 24 April 1999, www.nato.int.
[10] Oliver Meier, "Steinmeier Calls for U.S. to Withdraw Nukes," Arms Control Today, 8 May 2009, www.armscontrol.org.
[11] “The Deterrence and Defence Posture Review,” NATO, 20 May 2012, www.nato.int.
[12] Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations & Regimes, http://cns.miis.edu.
[13] "NATO's Positions Regarding Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament and Related Issues" NATO, 5 July 2007, www.nato.int.