According to the US National Broadcasting Company (NBC), European countries are increasingly doubting the United States' security guarantees, and are accelerating efforts to establish independent nuclear deterrent forces, with main options being the modernization of France's nuclear arsenal and deploying French nuclear weapons outside of France; the second option is to increase reliance on the UK's nuclear arsenal. Additionally, there is a more sensitive topic under discussion: how to enable non-nuclear states to acquire the technical capabilities to develop nuclear weapons, which some EU countries are considering developing their own nuclear programs.
According to current discussions, the EU tends to strengthen France's nuclear arsenal because France's nuclear weapons are independently developed, and France has absolute control over them. Also, France is one of the leading powers in the EU. Although the UK is a European country, its traditional policy is "offshore balancing," and it does not want Europe to become too strong. Moreover, the UK's nuclear weapons are largely controlled by the United States (the UK's nuclear weapons are only the "Trident I I D5" submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which are designed and produced by the United States, but the warheads are produced by the UK. In terms of usage, the UK must first obtain approval from the United States), and thus are unreliable. As for non-nuclear EU countries trying to develop nuclear weapons, they would face condemnation from the international community and face significant political risks. Therefore, in a situation where trust in the United States has significantly declined, France has an opportunity to strengthen its leadership in the EU, and it remains to be seen whether France can seize this chance.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855020767059072/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.