NATO’s nuclear deterrence: Why a modernized US nuclear triad matters to NATO

With the U.S. Air Force announcing on October 27, 2015 the selection of Northrop Grumman as the prime contractor for the long-range strike bomber (LRS-B), the United States’ follow on aircraft to the B-2 bomber, both critics of the U.S. Air Force and nuclear abolitionists have added the new bomber to their list of acquisition programs to challenge. The long-range standoff cruise missile (LRSO) has also faced heavy criticism in recent months as critics attempt to kill the program before it reaches the acquisition stage. For many Europeans, such sniping between competing political interests in the United States may be of little interest. However, both the LRS-B and the LRSO are expected to play an important role in the long term security of NATO member states. Thus, the debate has implications that go well beyond the United States’ borders.