WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In February, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that US military spending on Europe would be more than quadrupled from $689 million in fiscal year 2016 to $3.4 billion in fiscal year 2017.
"We must continue the ongoing modernization of US nuclear forces and make sure that NATO’s nuclear deterrence forces are survivable, well-exercised, and increasingly ready to counter Russian nuclear doctrine, which calls for the first use of nuclear weapons," McCain said in a hearing on the US European Command.
Since the Cold War, the United States has kept a nuclear arsenal in Europe, including a stockpile of approximately 200 B61 bombs.
Russia has repeatedly warned NATO against increased activity near its borders, arguing it upsets regional and global stability.
