Britain proposes to extend its "nuclear umbrella" to nine European countries

Great Britain proposes to extend its national nuclear deterrent to nine partner countries of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). These are Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

This was reported by the Finnish publication Iltalehti, whose information was conveyed by STT agency. The British proposal was announced by Heikki Autto, chairman of the parliament's defense committee of Finland.

According to him, the new mechanism should become part of deepened military cooperation within JEF. Thus, for the coalition states, the British nuclear deterrent could supplement NATO mechanisms, rather than operate exclusively through the Alliance.

The key role in the British nuclear deterrent system is played by the submarine fleet. Great Britain continuously maintains at least one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine on combat patrol. Currently, this mission is carried out by Vanguard-class submarines equipped with Trident II D5 missiles with British nuclear warheads. This follows from the official description of the British deterrent system.

At the same time, the proposed scheme does not involve the deployment of British nuclear weapons on the territory of JEF countries. Autto stressed that, in particular, Finland does not change its position and does not seek to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime.

According to Finnish media, the new format is also linked to the creation of JEF combat units. The coalition countries plan to sign a corresponding agreement in Oslo in November. It is expected that such forces will be able to operate within JEF without having to wait for the activation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The Joint Expeditionary Force is led by Great Britain. The coalition includes ten states of Northern Europe and the Baltic region. JEF was created for rapid response to crisis situations and can operate both independently and in support of NATO. In recent years, the coalition has been increasing its presence in the Baltic Sea, the Arctic and the North Atlantic.

At the same time, the British proposal is currently known from Finnish media reports and a statement by the chairman of the Finnish parliament's defense committee. A separate public document from the UK government with detailed terms of the new nuclear deterrent mechanism has not yet been published.

Based on materials from: STT / Suomenmaa, Yle, UK government