BRUSSELS — NATO’s senior nuclear deterrence body announced Thursday that member nations have reached an agreement to upgrade the alliance’s nuclear capabilities while also strengthening how it plans and manages its nuclear deterrence mission.
The announcement came from the Nuclear Planning Group, which serves as the alliance’s primary forum for consultation and decision-making on nuclear deterrence matters. All NATO member nations participate in the group with the exception of France.
Defense ministers who took part in the meeting emphasized the foundational importance of the alliance’s nuclear forces. According to the group’s statement, the ministers “recalled that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO’s extended deterrence architecture.”
The group outlined a clear path forward in its official statement: “NPG Ministers agreed to continue enhancing NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission by modernising NATO’s nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting to achieve its security interests.”
