\u2014 Financial Times (@FT) June 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UK are the current group of nations playing host to these weapons, which would be delivered under a wider NATO war plan either by U.S. Air Force aircraft or, in some cases, by specially certified host nation units. The UK was the most recent nation to re-join this club, with nuclear weapons now almost certainly being held at RAF Lakenheath<\/a> once again after having previously been withdrawn in 2008.<\/p>\n Now, with Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine<\/a> raging on, and bordering NATO nations living under the constant fear of \u2018wayward\u2019 munitions<\/a> or even direct threats from Vladimir Putin, it is claimed that Poland and the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, are interested in joining this list. For Poland specifically, as an operator of both the F-16 and the F-35<\/a>, there would be scope for them to join the ranks of NATO nations with units cleared to deliver these U.S.-owned weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Great catch by @Task_Force23<\/a> showing German Tornado at Edwards AFB last week with a B61-12 nuclear bomb trainer under the belly. https:\/\/t.co\/W4UZiTZwy9<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QrB2HMoQR5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hans Kristensen (also on Bluesky) (@nukestrat) September 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n For all of these nations, joining the nuclear sharing initiative would notably mark the first known time that U.S. nuclear weapons have been deployed to former Warsaw Pact states. With the B61 family<\/a> having been in service since the 1960s, it could in fact be possible that B61s end up being deployed at locations that previous iterations of the same bomb were intended to destroy.\u00a0<\/p>\n In March, President Karol Nawrocki\u2019s chief foreign policy adviser said that it should be a \u201cpriority\u201d for Poland to negotiate with the US about joining NATO\u2019s nuclear sharing programme.<\/p>\n The Polish government has also held discussions with France https:\/\/t.co\/HNKMsYe9Sg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) June 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It should be noted, however, that even if these talks do produce an agreement to expand the nuclear sharing program, it will likely be many years before any such deployment of nuclear weapons takes place. Even for RAF Lakenheath, which was already equipped with the specialised Weapons Storage and Security System (WS3) vaults for storing the bombs, it took several years between initial discussions of returning the capability and the first apparent deliveries of nuclear weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n For nations bordering Russia, these vaults \u2013 which, as well as being hardened against traditional attacks, feature an array of highly classified security measures to counter attempts of sabotage or theft \u2013 would be of particular importance and would first need to be constructed before any live munitions could be shipped across.\u00a0<\/p>\n Poland, along with a number of other NATO nations \u2013 including current nuclear sharing participants \u2013 have already signed up to France\u2019s proposals for an expanded French nuclear force<\/a> which could see nuclear-armed Rafale jets forward deployed to other countries in the future. These countries would also be invited to take part in France\u2019s regular nuclear exercises<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2665\ufe0f\u2663\ufe0f POKER 2026-02 is in the air \u2666\ufe0f\u2660\ufe0f<\/p>\n The Strategic Air Forces just received the scramble order for the new simulated nuclear strike, which is expected to take place over French territory for much of the night.<\/p>\n This could be a particularly challenging edition, as weather\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/XGBeSSa9G8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Etienne Marcuz (@Etienne_Marcuz) June 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Balancing Act<\/p>\n Although under the current Trump administration the U.S. has indicated a desire to pivot its forces away from Europe, deploying additional nuclear weapons may be seen as a way to balance the removal of conventional forces. Forward deployed nuclear weapons would require a comparatively small footprint in terms of personnel compared to some types of conventional force deployments, which might allow the Pentagon to reorganise its structures while keeping European nations on side.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plans for U.S. troop withdrawals are expected to be presented to NATO allies in June<\/a>. Previous announcements have already included the potential reduction of U.S. personnel in Germany by as many as 5,000<\/a> \u2013 1 in 7 of all U.S. personnel stationed in the country.<\/p>\n A planned rotation of 4,000 U.S. personnel to Poland was also withdrawn at short notice<\/a>, causing much concern among Polish officials and drawing criticism from members of the U.S. Congress. This decision was later reversed, with a new deployment of 5,000 troops<\/a> announced directly by President Trump. The concern over the unpredictable nature of U.S. policy, though, remains strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n U.S. forces have turned Sofia International Airport in Bulgaria into a major staging ground for aerial refueling tankers to support future strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n Seen here, a half dozen KC-135s parked on the ramp yesterday evening: pic.twitter.com\/TsemqkK879<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Consequences of these abrupt changes in policy are already coming to light, with the potential of impacting U.S. plans outside of the European theatre. When the U.S. Government neglected to approve a visa waiver program for Bulgarian citizens, Prime Minister Rumen Radev declared that U.S. forces deployed to the country \u2013 which includes aircraft at Sofia International Airport supporting Operation Epic Fury \u2013 could be ordered to leave by the end of June<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n With Europe an important staging post for these Middle Eastern operations, hosting troops, aircraft, and ships as they pass through to the region, reluctance to accommodate these visits could prove detrimental to the U.S. military\u2019s force projection strategies. We have already seen the U.S. Air Force\u2019s giant airlift fleet stretched<\/a> as it supports large scale military buildups in incredibly short periods of time \u2013 there is little room for maneuver if so many locations for stopovers and refueling support were suddenly lost.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/nato\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/RAF_Lakenheath_nukes_2-706x470.jpg\"\/)
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<\/a>File photo of a Weapons Storage and Security System (WS3) vault holding a B61 nuclear bomb insid a Protective Aircraft Shelter. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force)<\/p>\n