Published 12:17 IST, October 17th 2019
Donald Trump suggests the presence of US nuclear weapons in Turkey
Donald Trump appears to confirm US nuclear weapons are in Turkey in a statement at White House. US Defense official said such information shouldn't be disclosed
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US President Donald Trump on October 15 appeared to disclose that there were US nuclear weapons in Turkey to the reporters at White House. The US President suggested that by indicating the presence of weapons in Turkey which is practice strictly prohibited by US Government officials. US President Trump reportedly made the statement as an answer to the queries on weapons' security, now that Turkey has gone against US wishes by invading northern Syria after the Trump-ordered US withdrawal from the region.
Though the President didn't use the 'Nuke' term, he said that the US is confident that the weapons will be safe and that the US has a great and powerful airbase in Turkey.
Displaced weapons shouldn't be disclosed: US White House Official
On the other hand, the White House officials told media that disclosing such classified information is out of the rules. Kingston Reif, the director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association said, as per policy, the Defence Department does not comment on the presence of nuclear weapons in Turkey or anywhere else in Europe. Similarly, Jessica Varnum, deputy director at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies' James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies told reporters that "US and NATO officials do not, as a matter of policy, confirm the existence, locations or numbers of tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe". Yet Reif added that the Air Force, in its fiscal year 2015 budget request, noted the presence of 'special weapons' at 'storage sites in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey which already disclosed the information as a matter of fact. At the same time, reports cited other experts who note that it isn't easy to hide such weapons.
A NATO affiliated body report reportedly confirmed the presence of weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey which was later deleted. The documents also mentioned US nukes in Turkey cited by a Canadian senator for the Defense and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
11:54 IST, October 17th 2019