As Acting Deputy Defense Minister James Anderson said, as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.
Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Political Affairs James Anderson is convinced of the continuing need to deploy American nuclear weapons in NATO countries. This follows from Anderson’s answers to questions on Thursday from the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Forces Affairs.
“Yes”, – a U.S. defense official said in response to a question from legislators. The questions were asked ahead of the committee’s hearing Thursday to consider his candidacy for the Pentagon’s Assistant Deputy Head of Political Affairs. – “As long as there are nuclear weapons, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance <…> The North Atlantic Alliance Strategic Forces, especially the U.S. [forces], along with the independent strategic forces of the UK and France, are the highest guarantee of the alliance’s security”, – Anderson added.
“NATO’s nuclear deterrent position also relies on US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, as well as the capabilities and infrastructure provided by the allies”, – said the acting Deputy Secretary of Defense.
He also agreed on the importance of modernizing the nuclear triad. “Our country’s nuclear weapons play a crucial role in deterring nuclear attacks and preventing large-scale conventional warfare between the nuclear-weapon states today and in the foreseeable future <…> To maintain credible deterrence in the face of growing nuclear threats, the U.S. must simultaneously modernize every part of the nuclear triad,” Anderson wrote, who also believes that abandoning the policy of first-strike nuclear strikes “will not reduce the risks of nuclear war, but will increase the risk of use of nuclear weapons.