Nato Debates What To Do With 200 Old American Nuclear Weapons And Other Nuclear Stockpiles

"A frontal view of four B-61 nuclear free-fall bombs on a bomb cart. (Released to Public) Location: BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LOUISIANA (LA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA) DoD photo by: SSGT PHIL SCHMITTEN Date Shot: 1 Dec 1986". B-61 bombs (probably trainers). Wikimedia

Outdated, Unwanted, US Nukes Hang On In Europe -- Washington Post/AP

KLEINE BROGEL AIR BASE, Belgium -- Unseen beyond the grazing Holsteins and rolling pastures of eastern Belgium, the 12-foot-long tapered metal cylinders sit in their underground vaults, waiting for the doomsday call that never came. Each packs the power of many Hiroshimas.

America's oldest nuclear weapons, unwanted, outdated, a legacy of the 20th century, are now the focus of a political struggle that could shake the NATO alliance in the 21st.

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More News On Europe And Nuclear Weapons

European States Urge Withdrawal of Tactical Nukes -- Global Security Newswire
US nukes in Europe to stay -- News24
Reassessing NATO's Tactical Nukes -- WPR
NATO: Global Military Bloc Finalizes 21st Century Strategic Doctrine -- Australia.to News
Europe Lacks Plan on Nuclear Arms -- New York Times

High Stakes For Obama At Weekend Security Conference

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is facing its first big international test this weekend as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. heads to a conference in Europe in the face of a confrontational stance from an old cold war adversary.

Administration officials have concluded that Russia pressed Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, to close the American base in that country, which they interpret as a shot across the bow. The base is crucial to the American-led fight in Afghanistan that Mr. Obama has identified as his central national security objective. Mr. Obama plans to deploy as many as 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan over the next two years; shaky overland supply routes through Pakistan would make it difficult for the United States to adjust to the loss of the base, in Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

It was Mr. Biden who warned publicly in October that Mr. Obama’s mettle could be tested early in his administration by some kind of an international crisis. Now, a speech that Mr. Biden is scheduled to deliver Saturday before leaders and defense officials from Europe and Asia will be watched closely to determine what tack America’s fledgling leadership will take regarding Russia.

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My Comment: The Europeans are going to be very skeptical on President Obama's demands for increasing their commitment to Afghanistan. The Russians are going to be .... well like Russians. This speech is important.