Over the past two decades, nuclear weapons have been deemphasized in NATO planning, but this should not be interpreted to mean that the Alliance has abandoned the core principle that a nuclear attack will meet a nuclear response, or that NATO will not retain the necessary means to deliver such a response.

In the latest issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, “Why Nuclear Deterrence Still Matters to NATO,” authors Matthew Kroenig and Walter B. Slocombe argue that nuclear deterrence will remain a crucial part of NATO defense policy for the foreseeable future to deter the real (but remote) nuclear threats that the Alliance faces. They also examine the Russian, Iranian, and other threats that NATO nuclear weapons are intended to deter.

Related Experts: Matthew Kroenig