NATO NUCLEAR POLICY

BASIC Publications | Official Documents | Links

In the post-Cold War era, discussion over the role of nuclear weapons in NATO has been fraught with contradictions.  While leaders acknowledge that the Alliance should move its posture toward collective security rather than collective defense, nuclear weapons still play a prominent role in NATO's strategy and thinking.  Current documents still note that "nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO continue to provide an essential political and military link between the European and North American members of the Alliance."¹

Upcoming events promise to raise tough questions in NATO nuclear policy discussions. The May 2001 foreign ministers' meeting in Budapest brought to light a possible division emerging between European allies and the United States on missile defenses, but also highlighted Washington's strong influence on the Alliance's nuclear posture.  NATO expansion heats up in 2001 in advance of the November 2002 summit in Prague, where member states will decide on admitting any or all of the nine candidates to the Alliance – and whether to extend to them the privilege of NATO's "nuclear umbrella."

BASIC and its colleagues in Europe have played a significant role in pushing nuclear issues to the fore in the institution, and work with European policy makers to bring post-Cold War concerns like first use and tactical weapons stationing to the forefront of debate.  BASIC and partners urge parliaments and other opinion leaders to probe governments on NATO issues and encourage a wider dialogue.

¹ Final Communiqué, Ministerial Meeting of the Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group, 7 June 2001.

BASIC Publications

BASIC Calls for Declassification of NATO's Missile Defence Study, BASIC Media Advisory, 31 May 2006.

NATO and Missile Defence: Stay Tuned This Could Get Interesting, BASIC Note, 30 June 2004.

NATO Nuclear Doctrine and the NPT, BASIC Briefing, 29 June 2004.

NATO Ministerial Meetings in Brussels: Looking Ahead to the Istanbul Summit in 2004, BASIC Briefing, 3 December 2003

Is NATO Coming Under Pressure to Change Its Nuclear Policy?, NATO, Foreign Ministers meeting in Madrid 3-4 June 2003. BASIC Note, 2 June 2003

Senate Hearings on NATO Expansion: Key Issues of Concern BASIC Note, 28 April 2003

Time for a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in Europe? BASIC Note, 27 February 2003

As NATO Gets Bigger, Can It Downsize Nuclear Risks? 
First Installment of NATO E-mail Series, 20 November 2002

On the Road to Budapest A series of articles profiling key nuclear policy issues facing NATO, May-June 2001

Paragraph 32 Process:  Final Analysis BASIC Note, 11 January 2001

NPT and NATO Nuclear Policy
Report on seminar organized by  IPPNW-Netherlands, Parliamentarians for Global Action and PENN-Netherlands, 3 November 2000 

Letter to NATO Ambassadors
Tackling the issue of NATO's nuclear agenda, 26 October 2000

NATO and Arms Control:  A Blueprint for Action
BASIC Research Report 2000.3, 3 October 2000

Allies Must Address Nuclear Policy
Press Advisory on the NATO Defense Ministers 'informal' Annual Meeting in Birmingham, 10-11 October 2000

NATO's Nuclear Agenda:  Recommendations for Action
BASIC Note, 6 September 2000

Questions of Command and Control:  NATO Nuclear Sharing and the NPT PENN Research Report 2000.1, March 2000

NATO Nuclear Policy:  Between Disarmament and Pre-Emptive Nuclear Use by Martin Butcher, 18 November 1999

Nuclear Futures:  Western European Options for Nuclear Risk Reduction BASIC/BITS Research Report 98.5, December 1998

Criticism of NATO Nuclear Policy Reaches US Senate
Opposition to Nuclear Sharing Leads to Proposed Senate Amendment on NATO Expansion, BASIC Note, May 1998

Nuclear Futures: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and US Nuclear Strategy
Research Report 98.2, March 1998

• Executive Summary of the report

• Full report in Acrobat .pdf

• Press Release on the report

NATO Nuclear Sharing and the NPT - Questions to be Answered
PENN Research Note 97.3, July 1997

Removing the Nuclear Hair-trigger:  A Priority for the NATO/Russia Joint Council BASIC Note, June 1997

U.S. Nuclear NATO Arsenals 1996-97
BASIC-BITS Research Note, February 1997

Extending the Nuclear Umbrella: Undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
BASIC Note, 7 February 1997

Official Documents

NATO's 'Report on Options for Confidence and Security Building 
Measures (CSBMs), Verification, Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament' On the second day of their winter ministerial meeting (15th December) at NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO Foreign Ministers adopted a set of ‘options’ for future work in the arms control arena. Originally mandated by paragraph 32 of the Strategic Concept agreed at NATO’s fiftieth anniversary summit in Washington DC in April 1999, the review process which produced the 'options' was asked to consider the following areas: confidence and security building measures, verification, non-proliferation and arms control and disarmament. Besides stating NATO's recent record in the field, the report sets out current Alliance arms control principles and lists some specific measures for NATO and Russia to work on under the auspices of the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council. (15 December 2000)

The Alliance's Strategic Concept, approved by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Washington, 23-24 April 1999

NATO Ministerial Communiqués, 1949 to present

Links

BITS' Project on European Nuclear Non-proliferation

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