Currently, as part of NATO’s nuclear parts, the United States has preserved about 100 B-61 tactical atomic bombs, stored in depots in five countries, including Germany. [Buchel]Belgium [Kleine Brogel]The Netherlands [Volkel]Turkey [Incirlik] and Italy [Ghedi et Aviano].
This sharing of nuclear weapons is based on the so-called “double key” principle: it is clear that if these five countries could be persuaded to use, if necessary, the B-61 bombs at their disposal, the control of this [et donc leur code d’armement] belongs exclusively to the United States. And this presupposes that the allies involved have the right resources to deal with such a contingency.
Hence their desire to purchase so-called 5th generation F-35 fighter-bombers. It should be noted that it is not certain that Turkey will be able to maintain its participation in NATO’s nuclear Sharing in the future, as it was excluded from the F-35 program after it commissioned Russia’s S-400 air defense systems.
Could Poland replace her, who ordered 32 F-35As? The president, Andrzej Duda, wants it… That’s what he said in an interview published by the weekly magazine Gazeta Poland. And that while Russian President Vladimir Putin has brandished the nuclear threat several times since the start of the war in Ukraine.
“The problem is, first of all, that we don’t have nuclear weapons. There is no indication that we will have any in the near future. There is always a potential opportunity to participate in the nuclear sub-programme. We asked US officials if the United States was considering this possibility. The subject is open,’ said Mr. Duda.
The problem is that nobody in the White House seems to be aware of Warsaw’s request. This is indeed what one of his managers said. at the Bloomberg deskwho was invited to contact the Polish authorities.
However, several missions may fall under NATO’s nuclear parts, from reconnaissance to defense against attack, including the provision of fighter-bombers and thus the storage of B-61 bombs.
But a priori, and according to a Polish diplomat requested by Bloomberg, it would be good if Warsaw welcomed nuclear weapons on its territory. “It would be in the security interest of Poland, the region and all of Europe,” he said.
Only, and as things stand, it is unlikely that Warsaw will get any satisfaction, even if it could be a response to the possible deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, as now permitted by the constitution of this country, which was changed last February.
Indeed, Poland does not yet have the F-35 as it has ordered… Which means that it does not have the resources to deploy the B-61s that it could be entrusted with. Then the United States pledged not to deploy nuclear weapons to the newest members of NATO, which could… to be in conflict with to the Non-Proliferation Treaty [TNP]. Finally, this won’t change the Alliance’s deterrent attitude much…