Movie 'Nuclear Terrorism: proof of concept' available on YouTube
Belgian peace activists called Bombspotters who campaign against nuclear weapons claim to have filmed the nuclear weapon shelters on the military base of Kleine Brogel. According to a press release dated 6 October they visited most hardened aircraft shelters on the base and located eight of the eleven nuclear weapon storage shelters. They also claim to have taken pictures inside one of the nuclear aircraft shelters. Evidence to support their claims is provided in a short documentary, 'Nuclear Terrorism: proof of concept', which has been posted on YouTube, and an accompanying technical analysis.
The activists’ intention is to reveal the lack of security found at the site and the risk of an act of terrorism targeting the nuclear bombs. They argue that “these nuclear bombs do not guarantee security but pose a security risk themselves. Our security would be better guaranteed without them”.
The US still deploys between 150 and 250 nuclear weapons in Europe. In Kleine Brogel, an estimated 20 bombs are stored. Other military bases in Europe that store US nuclear weapons are Büchel (Germany), Ghedi Torre and Aviano (Italy), Volkel (Netherlands) and Incirlik (Turkey).
The activists correctly point out that the security situation in Kleine Brogel is not exceptional. In 2008, for example, a US Air force report concluded that most nuclear sites did not reach security standards and "that most sites require significant additional resources to meet DoD security requirements." However, a later US Air Force news story suggests that the base of Kleine Brogel was considered well-guarded and that any security problems were found at other bases. This apparent breach of security suggests otherwise.
The Belgian MoD says that the images in the film are old and that the activists have been nowhere near 'the operational heart' of the base. In other words, it denies that there is a problem. NATO Watch director Ian Davis said that “this head-in-the-sand complacency is troubling since the activists raise many concerns that ought to be properly explored by officials and Belgian parliamentarians”.
The Bombspotters conclude that “the inertia of NATO's decision making on nuclear strategy and the continuation of an outdated nuclear posture results in providing easy targets for nuclear terrorism. The best way to solve this security problem is to remove these unnecessary nuclear bombs from Europe”.