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| Citizen Weapons Inspections (CWIs) were attempted or
conducted at a number of nuclear weapons sites in Europe on Saturday April 24, 1999, the
50th anniversary of the founding of NATO. The inspections developed additional
significance in light of NATO’s bombing of Serbia and the negative impact this has
had on nuclear disarmament Alyn Ware, LCNP Consultant at Large, participated in a CWI at Volkel Airforce base in the Netherlands. It is believed that the US deploys between 10-30 B61 freefall bombs with W80 warheads at the base and these are available for transfer to the Dutch airforce during time of war under nuclear sharing arrangements between the US and Netherlands If true, this would be in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty which prohibits the transfer of nuclear weapons between states parties. In addition, the deployment of nuclear weapons during peacetime would likely violate the International Court of Justice opinion, which ruled out any threat or use of nuclear weapons which was not an extreme circumstance of self defense when the very survival of a state is at stake.. The CWI team were not permitted to enter the base, and so four members proceeded to dig under the fence in order to gain access. They were arrested, charged and then released with a court date pending.
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