(Mai 2012) NATO’s nuclear sharing program, designed during the Cold War period to, inter alia, create a European ‘third force’ to balance what was seen in Washington as a predatory Soviet Union, is today in a precarious position.
The roughly 180 B61 nuclear gravity bombs in Europe which constitute the US contribution to nuclear burdensharing with NATO allies are rapidly approaching the end of their scheduled service lives, as are the dual-capable aircraft (DCA) assigned to deliver the B61s to their targets.
The current global economic crisis magnifies the risks to the nuclear sharing status quo at NATO, as the US in particular is unlikely to continue to fund legacy systems such as the B61 for the indefinite future, especially absent a demonstrated commitment by European allies to carry their share of the fiscal burden. As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates put it in his valedictory address to NATO in June 2011(…)