Norway Is Joining France’s “Nuclear Umbrella” Amid Fears of Reduced U.S. Military Support

Norway will join the French “nuclear umbrella,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

According to Reuters, the decision is linked in part to concerns in Oslo about a possible reduction in U.S. military support for Europe, as well as Russia’s ongoing military buildup.

At the same time, Store stressed separately that there are no plans to deploy French nuclear weapons on Norwegian territory in peacetime.

Norway is a member of NATO but not of the European Union. The country shares an Arctic border with Russia.

Reuters notes that in March France proposed extending its nuclear deterrence to other European states. In practice, this means that an attack on Norway could be treated by Paris as grounds for a nuclear response.

Poland and Lithuania had previously also agreed to join the French “nuclear umbrella.”

According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia and the United States remain the world’s largest nuclear powers, with each side possessing more than 5,000 nuclear warheads. China has around 500, France approximately 290, and the United Kingdom about 225.