The proliferation of nuclear arms is one of the threats to the contemporary world. Prevention of this threat is the most important task of the world community. The United States of America is also an active participant of this process. Americans claim about it everywhere and at all levels when they speak about Iran.

But in this context how we have to understand the presence of the nuclear umbrella in Europe, i.e. stockpiling and planning the use of the American nuclear weapons of “dual subordination” in our continent. On the one side, 500 American tactical nuclear weapons stockpiled in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey are owned by the USA as a manufacturer, and remain under its military and political control in the peacetime. On the other side, about 180 weapons or 36 per cent of the stockpile may be transfered in the wartime for the combat use to the aforesaid five host countries – NATO members (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey), which do not have their own nuclear arms today.

So, where is the notorious adherence of the United States to the nonproliferation process when in due time the five host countries will get the nuclear weapons ready for the combat use?

In so doing the USA does not act arbitrarily – everything is stipulated in the respective legal regulatory documents. For example, pursuant to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty (NATO treaty) relating to the collective mutual military assistance of the member-states, the Alliance leadership is entitled to just oblige any alliance member to receive the nuclear weapon based on the need to strengthen international security and maintain “transatlantic solidarity”.

Para 63 of the Alliance “Strategic Concept” approved in 1999, reads: “A credible Alliance nuclear posture … continue to require widespread participation by European Allies involved in collective defense planning in nuclear roles, in peacetime basing of nuclear forces on their territory and in command, control and consultation arrangements…Nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO provide an essential political and military link between the European and the North American members of the Alliance. The Alliance will therefore maintain adequate nuclear forces in Europe.”

A statement of the NATO nuclear planning group made in June 2007 following the results of the group’s work also sets a task of the American-NATO tactical nuclear weapons in Europe “to provide for the needs of nuclear deterrence in the XXI century”.

It is not impossible that in the light of the aforesaid documents the American tactical nuclear weapons may be also deployed in the territory of NATO “newcomers”, the states of Eastern Europe.

Taking into consideration the possible use of the American tactical nuclear weapons by the aforesaid NATO host countries the means of their delivery : aircraft F-16 (in Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey) and PA-200 Tornado (in Germany and Italy) are permanently upgraded. These aircraft may use many aerodromes of the NATO member-states, including Poland and Baltic countries. NATO aircraft Eurofighter may be also fitted for carrying nuclear aerial bombs.

The potential use of the American tactical nuclear weapons stockpiled in Europe is planned in close connection with American strategic offensive weapons and new elements of the ABM system expected to be deployed in Poland and Czech Republic by the USA.

In general, the presence of the American nuclear weapons in the territory of Europe is a threat both to Europe and Russia. Besides, it is a gross violation of Non-Proliferation Treaty provisions, which prohibit to the nuclear-weapon States to deploy and transfer nuclear weapons to non-nuclear-weapon States (Art.1), and to the non-nuclear-weapon States to receive the transfer of nuclear weapons directly of indirectly (Art.2). In this connection the logic of both the USA and six aforesaid host countries is confusing – on the one side, they as the NPT members oppose proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide and in this context oppose Iran and North Korea, and on the other side, they let nuclear bombs be stockpiled in their territory and get prepared for their use.

The nuclear umbrella in Europe is a dangerous double standard in the politics of the USA and its NATO allies; it is a serious threat to Europe.