Europe could lose U.S. nuclear deterrence, says former NATO deputy

Europe could lose U.S. nuclear deterrence, says former NATO deputy
NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, February 1, 2018.
Reuters

Former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller has warned that Europe could face a future without U.S. nuclear deterrence.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to take Greenland, from a NATO ally in Denmark, has raised doubts on the U.S.’s commitment to extend nuclear deterrence across Europe.

The former NATO deputy was under Jens Stoltenberg from October 2016 to October 2019. She warns that such threats cast doubt on the U.S. nuclear deterrent umbrella, potentially motivating other countries to pursue their own nuclear capabilities if they cannot trust U.S.’s commitments.

“Everything that the U.S. is doing to raise doubts about its support for the NATO alliance will raise doubts about its willingness to extend a nuclear deterrent guarantee to Europe. That creates the potential for future proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Gottemoeller told the Independent newspaper.

What began as repeated calls to “buy” Greenland has morphed into an internationally contentious debate that European leaders say could undermine the post-World War II security order and even NATO itself.

Greenland is home to one of the U.S.’s most important military facilities, the Pituffik Space Base. Trump says his interest in Greenland, an island rich in minerals and strategically positioned between North America and Europe, is rooted in his “national security priority”.

It's sparked fierce pushback from Denmark and other NATO members.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that any U.S. attack on Greenland would effectively end NATO’s security guarantees.

On Tuesday, the White House said Trump had been discussing a “range of options”, including military action, despite a joint statement from European leaders and now the European Union insisting Greenland “belongs to its people”.

While Trump insists the U.S. is still committed to NATO, many allies fear that the Greenland controversy could mark a turning point in transatlantic relations.

This dispute comes amid a backdrop of heightened U.S. military action in Venezuela.

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