European nuclear weapons sites not secure, says US report

However, the Federation of American Scientists obtained a partially declassified version, which it posted on its website, showing that the security problem for nuclear weapons in Europe is much bigger than was previously known.

According to the study, most sites in Europe "require significant additional resources to meet standards", while inspectors uncovered inconsistencies in "personnel, facilities and equipment provided to the security mission by the host nation."

"Examples of areas noted in need of repair at several of the sites include support buildings, fencing, lighting, and security systems."

"A consistently noted theme throughout the visits was that most sites require significant additional resources to meet [Pentagon] security requirements," reads the Blue Ribbon Review of Nuclear Weapons Policies and Procedures study.

The investigation was commissioned by the Air Force following an incident last year in which nuclear warheads were flown across the United States without the knowledge nuclear safety personnel.

Hangover from the Cold War

Although the US removed many of its nuclear weapons from Europe after the Cold War, there still remains a number of weapons in NATO countries Germany, Belgium, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

According to information displayed on the FAS website, quoting previous reports and declassified documents, the number of 00-350 B61 nuclear bombs in Europe range between 200 and 350.

In Germany, the report has sparked criticism among both the Social Democrats - the junior part of the governing coalition - and opposition parties.

According to the International Herald Tribune, Niels Annen, foreign affairs expert for the Social Democrats, said that nuclear disarmament would receive a big boost if Germany got rid of the weapons.

"The nuclear weapons are a hangover from the Cold War and must go," Guido Westerwelle, the head of the liberal Free Democrats, told the Berliner Zeitung daily on Monday.

"If there are any security risks, this is one more reason to remove all nuclear weapons that were kept in Germany for tactical reasons," he added.

However, the AFP news agency reports government spokesperson Ulrich Wilhelm as saying that the country is bound by NATO agreements to maintain nuclear arms as a military deterrent.

"For the foreseeable future ... we remain of the view that a deterring military capacity includes not only conventional capacity but also nuclear components," the spokesperson said.