NATO came together in 1949 as a defensive nuclear alliance against the Soviet Union with the U.S. as its primus inter pares— the ultimate guarantor of the security of its western European members. Now,

Nuclear weapons are not going to suddenly disappear. But they might create a more dangerous world in which countries are neither safely deterred nor meaningfully disarmed.

Going further, the French could deploy fighter jets from the nuclear-capable part of the fleet to Germany or other European countries, as they did—unarmed—in Sweden and Poland last year. The most far-reaching option, mimicking the existing NATO scheme, would be to pre-position air-launched nuclear weapons in allied countries.

Fading U.S. leadership has countries from Poland to South Korea thinking about nuclear-weapons programs of their own.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday said involvement in a European nuclear umbrella would be considered a supplement to joint nuclear deterrence with the US, amid debate over the EU's defence capabilities.

Between the Ukraine War and Operation Midnight Hammer, nuclear deterrence once again proved itself to be the defining issue of the year.

The UK’s nuclear deterrent strategy is outdated and a lack of expertise has left the country with an “awful lot of ground to make up”, a report backed by the former head of the civil service has warned.

After viewing a test of a multiple rocket launcher system, Kim is likely to unveil ICBM plans capable of hitting the US, analysts say.

Chancellor Merz confirms Berlin is holding strategic talks with allies on joint European nuclear deterrence - Anadolu Ajansı

The Korean Peninsula illustrates why the stable management of nuclear risk has become more urgent than denuclearization strategies or peace rhetoric alone. With North Korea showing no sign of reversing its nuclear posture, managing nuclear threats prior to disarmament has emerged as a central security task rather than a secondary concern.