Joseph A. DAY (Canada)
12 October 2019
This DSC report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Defence and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
The Committee’s 2019 General Report reviews the rapidly changing nuclear weapons environment and its impact on non-proliferation efforts. It summarises key challenges facing NATO’s nuclear powers, and, therefore, the Alliance’s broader nuclear posture. It also reviews the Alliance’s continued commitment to broader arms control efforts but highlights the realities of declining appetites outside of the Alliance for new nuclear arms control measures. The report warns that Russia’s concerted efforts to develop and deploy a suite of new powerful nuclear weapons systems will be very destabilising for international peace and security, especially in the Euro-Atlantic area. The report also warns of over-the-horizon nuclear threats from China, as well as North Korea and Iran.
Last but not least, the report informs NATO parliamentarians of the indispensable role NATO’s nuclear deterrent plays in the Alliance’s overall defence posture in today’s rapidly changing international security environment. It also highlights NATO’s significant efforts to continue to promote arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament.
