Europe Needs Its Own Nuclear Deterrent: Part 3

The sticky problem of command structure

Hello All,

In part 1 and part 2 of this series I discussed why Europe needs to start planning for its own nuclear deterrent. With the US becoming an unreliable partner, and a possible election of Donald Trump looming, it becomes imperative that Europe start looking to its own security independent of the North Atlantic Alliance. Maybe the most challenging aspect of any such new world would be Europe providing for a nuclear deterrent strong enough to keep Russia from using its very large stock of nuclear weapons (far larger than the UK-France combined at present) to box the continent in through a form of nuclear blackmail.

The French Nuclear Submarine: Le Terrible: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-frances-nuclear-weapons-still-matter-116346

In some ways the technological challenges faced in the creation of a European deterrent are quite straightforward as I discussed particularly in part 2. Europe has the technological capability at present to create the war heads, the big challenge would be to choose the different delivery systems. For reasons that I outline in the piece, a bi-ad or di-ad of submarine-based and air-based makes the most sense (imho).

What the greatest challenge might be, however, is the funding and command structure. As Europe has no united political leadership (and Europe’s present nuclear powers are not even both in the EU) coming up with the command and control for a European nuclear deterrent is a devilish question. What comes next is an attempt to wrestle with that, and think of a possible solution—realizing all the time that some people will hate this.

Here goes.