Discussion of the issue is the most highly charged in Germany, which hosts an estimated 150 U.S. nuclear weapons. Germany relies exclusively on
Tornado PA-200 aircraft to deliver U.S. nuclear weapons. The Tornado entered service in the early 1980s and had been expected to be phased out over
the next 15 years. Nuclear-capable Tornados are deployed at Büchel Air Base, along with an estimated 20 B-61 bombs. Germany had been expected to
begin retiring them as early as 2012.
The Tornados are to be replaced by the Eurofighter (Typhoon), a multinational aircraft built jointly by Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
But the German government in July 2004 told parliament—the Bundestag—that it does not intend to certify the Eurofighter to carry nuclear weapons.
Such certification would require Germany and its partners to grant the United States access to Eurofighter technology, which Europeans are reluctant
to do because they fear the loss of commercial proprietary information.
Berlin is looking for a way to delay making a decision. In February, the government stated that it might keep some Tornados beyond the expected end of
their service life in 2020. The only clear purpose for such a move would be to preserve the ability of the German air force to deploy U.S. nuclear
Nevertheless, there is concern within NATO about Germany’s long-term commitment to nuclear sharing. A senior NATO official told Arms Control Today
June 2 that a decision by the German government to “extend the life of the Tornado would only delay and not solve the issue.”
Such fears are heightened by growing pressure from the Bundestag. Since April 2005, all three opposition parties in the Bundestag—the liberal Free
Democrats, the left-of-center Green Party and the socialist Left Party—have introduced resolutions calling for a complete end to Germany’s
involvement in nuclear sharing and a withdrawal of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons from German territory.
This year, the debate also is taking place within the government. When the draft of a new Defense White Paper was released to the Bundestag this
spring, an unprecedented dispute about German support for NATO’s nuclear doctrine erupted between center-left Social Democrats and conservative
Christian Democrats, which together form the governing “Grand Coalition.”
The draft, which was leaked to a German internet site (www.geopowers.com), states that nuclear deterrence will remain necessary to deter hostile
states possessing nuclear weapons, including states with a fundamentalist ideology. Echoing earlier NATO language, the draft goes on to argue that
“the common commitment of Alliance partners to war prevention, the credible demonstration of Alliance solidarity and nuclear posture require also in
the future German participation in nuclear tasks.” The text specifies that this includes “the deployment of allied nuclear forces on German soil,
participation in consultations, planning and providing means of delivery.”
This language was immediately and publicly rejected by the Social Democrats and, along with a subsequent position paper, made clear that for the first
time that a governing party in Germany was calling for withdrawing from NATO nuclear sharing. The position paper, written by Social Democratic members
of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, categorically states that Social Democrats are “not willing to provide new means of delivery” once the
Tornado has reached the end of its service life “in a few years.” Then, Germany’s participation in “tactical nuclear sharing” should end,
the Social Democrats demand.
(it sucks...) full note here: