Global Zero

Map of U.S. and Russian combat bases in Europe where tactical nuclear weapons may be deployed and of national storage facilities.

Last week, Global Zero was at the Munich Security Conference where we released this report calling for the United States and Russia to remove all of their tactical nuclear weapons from combat bases on the European continent.

The Global Zero NATO-Russia Commission is made up of 15 eminent American, European and Russian security leaders and experts and co-chaired by Amb. Richard Burt, Col. Gen. (Ret.) Victor Esin, Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger and Sir Malcolm Rifkind. The Commission contends that two decades after the end of the Cold War, U.S. and Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Europe have virtually no military utility, incur significant financial costs and security risks, including terrorist capture, and create political friction between NATO and Russia.

The Commission also believes that U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons reductions would create the conditions for taking the next critical step toward the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide: bringing China and other nuclear weapons countries into the first multilateral nuclear arms negotiations in history. 

Amb. Richard Burt said, “Removing tactical nuclear weapons from European combat bases is something that the United States and Russia could start working on right away. It would get arms negotiations back on track and open the door to a next round of U.S.-Russian reductions, including both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.” 

The groundbreaking Global Zero report caught the attention of the world press, including:

Financial Times: Call to scale back nuclear weapons in Europe (register for free to read)

The Guardian: New push to remove tactical nuclear weapons from Europe

BBC News: Tactical nuclear weapons ‘are an anachronism’

Reuters: Group urges end to tactical nukes in Europe

La Croix: Global zero» propose une relance du désarmement nucléaire

You can read the complete report and view images of U.S. and Russian combat bases in Europe where tactical nuclear weapons may be deployed and of national storage facilities here: www.globalzero.org/en/nato-russia-commission-report.