{"id":51776,"date":"2020-05-11T17:19:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T17:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/05\/11\/nato-chief-backs-german-vow-to-keep-war-ready-us-nukes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:33:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:33:07","slug":"nato-chief-backs-german-vow-to-keep-war-ready-us-nukes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2020\/05\/11\/nato-chief-backs-german-vow-to-keep-war-ready-us-nukes\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO chief backs Germany\u2019s vow to keep war-ready US nukes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLOGNE, Germany \u2014 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has waded into Germany\u2019s fiery debate about the decades-old pledge to retain American atomic bombs in the European nation as a way of deterring Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltenberg argued that only sticking to the doctrine of \u201cnuclear sharing\u201d would ensure Berlin’s continued seat at the table of strategic decision-making within the alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNATO\u2019s nuclear sharing is a multilateral arrangement that ensures the benefits, responsibilities and risks of nuclear deterrence are shared among allies,\u201d he wrote in an op-ed first posted on the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung website. \u201cPolitically, this is significant. It means that participating allies, like Germany, make joint decisions on nuclear policy and planning, and maintain appropriate equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The policy prescribes that a smattering of countries in Europe that don\u2019t possess atomic weapons will host such arms on their territory and maintain the means to deploy them. In the case of Germany, there are 20 B61 bombs reportedly stored at B\u00fcchel Air Base in western Germany\u2019s state of Rhineland-Palatinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If called upon, German Tornado pilots would fly the weapons into enemy territory and toss them at the targets in a lofting maneuver, releasing them during a sharp upward and backward turn to maximize bomb airtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debate has flared up in recent weeks about Germany\u2019s nuclear role, following the German Defence Ministry\u2019s recommendation to purchase 30 F-18s for the job, as the Tornado fighter jets are expected to reach the end of their useful life by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\t