The History, Law and Governance of NATO Nuclear Sharing

This chapter addresses a gap in the literature by analyzing the history, the legal architecture, and the institutional structures of NATO's nuclear sharing framework. Nuclear sharing provided the physical and political coupling that bound United States security to Western Europe to offset overwhelming Soviet conventional superiority in Europe. Grounded in the Eisenhower administration's New Look policy, NATO's Massive Retaliation strategy integrated tactical nuclear capabilities into a unified nuclear and conventional “sword and shield” posture to stop a Soviet invasion in its tracks and provide a decisive response to throw them back. The US evolved a dual-key custodial strategy to prevent Allied access to nuclear warheads outside of conflict and ensure compliance with US statutory non-proliferation mandates. This strategy preserved exclusive peacetime US warhead custody while allowing non-nuclear Allies to field compatible nuclear delivery platforms, establishing a model of shared risk and responsibility. Far from being a historical artifact, this framework remains vital today. Amid aggressive Russian revisionism and coercive threats, NATO continues to modernize its deterrent within the legal framework provided by a series of robust, far-reaching, and adaptive agreements.