What to do with US nukes in Turkey?

Frayed United States relations with Turkey over its incursion in Syria raise a sensitive question rarely discussed in public: Should the US remove the nuclear bombs it has long stored at a Turkish air base?

It’s a tricky matter for several reasons, including the fact the US government does not publicly acknowledge locations of nuclear weapons overseas. Still, it is almost an open secret the US has as many as 50 B-61 bombs stored under heavy guard at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

US President Donald Trump implicitly acknowledged the stockpile this week when asked by a reporter how confident he was of the bombs’ security. “We’re confident,” he said.

Turkey, a Nato ally, has reportedly hosted American nuclear weapons for 60 years. The bombs could be dropped by US planes in a nuclear war.

The arrangement at Incirlik air base is part of Nato’s policy of linking Turkey and other member countries to the alliance’s aim of deterring war by having a small number of nuclear weapons in Europe.

This week’s US deal with Turkey to pause its offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria may have slowed the deterioration of relations, but the overall direction has been negative.

In July, the Pentagon kicked Turkey out of its F-35 fighter jet programme because Turkey refused to halt its purchase of a Russian-made air defence system. This was a major blow to relations and raised US questions about whether Turkey was a reliable ally.

Experts are divided over whether the weapons would be safer in another Nato member country.