NATO nuclear sharing (nine sites in Europe are used to store U.S. nuclear weapons).

At the height of the Cold War, the number of US nuclear weapons stored in Europe exceeded 7,000. The withdrawal of most US nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War led to the closing of all but 13 of the US nuclear weapons storage sites in Europe. Nine of these sites are still used to store nuclear weapons during peacetime. Four others are in a caretaker status -- no weapons are stored, but the facilities are available for use during crisis and war.

Fewer than 180 air-launched B61 bombs are currently believed to remain in Europe, stored in the United Kingdom and on the territory of the six non-nuclear-weapons-state (NNWS) members of NATO that are parties to bilateral Programs of Cooperation with the US: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Under NATO nuclear sharing agreements, some of these weapons are deployed for use on the aircraft of their host countries in wartime. The six NNWS members of NATO listed above each currently maintain one air force unit equipped with dual capable aircraft and pilots trained and ready to conduct NATO nuclear missions. These arrangements, in effect, would turn these NNWS into nuclear weapons states in time of war.

The following NNWS aircraft are all earmarked for nuclear missions: German Tornado fighter-bombers at Buchel Air Base, Dutch F-16 aircraft at Volkel Air Base, Belgian F-16s at Kleine Brogel, Greek F-16s at Araxos, Turkish F-16s at Incirlik, and Italian Tornados at Ghedi Torre. In addition to these air force units, Germany and Turkey operate additional nuclear capable units on nuclear caretaker status. The US also continues to deploy dual capable aircraft -- F-16s and F-15Es -- in Europe. US F-16s are deployed at Aviano in Italy and Incirlik in Turkey, and F-15Es are based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. Spangdahlem in Germany also hosts US F-I6 aircraft, but it is not clear whether nuclear tasks are assigned to flying squadrons of the 52nd Fighter Wing stationed there.

NATO air force units maintaining nuclear weapons

Araxos Air Base, Greece              Greek 116th Combat Wing
Aviano Air Base, Italy               US 31st Fighter Wing
Balikesir Air Base, Turkey(*)        Turkish 9th Wing
Buchel Air Base, Germany             German 33rd Fighter
                                      Bomber Wing
Ghedi-Torre Air Base, Italy          Italian 6th Wing
Incirlik Air Base, Turkey            US & Turkish air force units
Kleine Brogel Air Base, Belgium      Belgian 10th Tactical Fighter
                                      Bomber Wing
RAF Lakenheath, UK                   US 48th Fighter Wing
Memmingen Air Base, Germany(*)       German 34th Fighter
                                      Bomber Wing
Murted Air Base Akinci, Turkey(*)    Turkish 4th Wing
Noervenich Air Base, Germany(*)      German 31st Fighter
                                      Bomber Wing
Ramstein Air Base, Germany           US 86th Airlift Wing
Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany        US 52nd Fighter Wing(?)
Volkel Air Base, Netherlands         Dutch 1st Fighter
                                      Bomber Wing

(*) Caretaker status, reduced readiness in peacetime

(Sources: "Questions of Command and Control: NATO, Nuclear Sharing
and the NPT," Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation Research
Report 2000.1, http://www.basicint.org/nuk_nukesharing_part1.htm;
"Nuclear Futures: Western European Options for Nuclear Risk
Reduction," British American Security Information Council,

http://www.basicint.org/nufu3-0.htm)