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NATO is discussing putting its nuclear weapons on alert

Author:
Kostia Andreikovets
Date:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is discussing putting its nuclear weapons on alert amid threats from Russia, China and North Korea.

He told about this in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper.

According to the Secretary General, NATO countries should show their nuclear arsenal to the world in order to "send a direct signal" to their opponents. Consultations are currently underway to remove the missiles from storage and put them on standby.

Stoltenberg declined to say how many nuclear warheads should be in combat mode. He noted that the goal of the Alliance is a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as such weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear bloc.

The newspaper writes that the US and Great Britain have transferred their nuclear deterrent forces to NATO, while other European allies keep weapons on their territory, including France. The country (NATOʼs third nuclear power) does not put its arsenal at the disposal of the Alliance due to a long-standing decision to maintain independence in matters of its own deterrence. The number of operational nuclear warheads is not officially known, and the information itself is classified. But the UK is estimated to have about 40 of the 225 warheads that can be deployed at any moment, while the US has about 1 700 of the 3 700.

Stoltenberg warned that only China is investing heavily in its nuclear arsenal, which will grow to 1 000 warheads by 2030.