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In 2022, Tyler Bowen wrote “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and NATO’s Crisis of Nuclear Credibility” for War on the Rocks, in which he argued that nuclear weapons were required for NATO to deter Russia as conventional NATO forces were incapable of doing so. In response to continued Russian nuclear rhetoric and Polish President Duda’s comments on participation in NATO’s nuclear sharing program, we asked him to look back on the article.Read more below.Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Jonathan Carkhuff, Air Combat Command Public AffairsIn your article “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and NATO’s Crisis of Nuclear Credibility,” written in 2022, you argued that the best course of action for NATO is to deter Russia through conventional force, but that NATO currently does not have the capabilities to do so. You argued that U.S. nuclear weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons, deployed to NATO territory are required for deterrence. Over the past two years, has that changed? First off, I want to thank the War on the Rocks editorial team for giving me the opportunity to reflect on the article I wrote two years ago. The answer to this question will preview some of my answers to the questions below. I wrote my article when the threat from Russia seemed the most dire, and while the military picture in Europe has improved, I still maintain that the American strategic nuclear arsenal and low-yield nuclear weapons deployed to NATO territory play a key role in deterring Russian attacks on European NATO allies.I am encouraged that European allies are spending more on defense and ramping up defense production, but I still have concerns about their ability to increase manpower to meet new NATO force goals. Plus, it will take time for new defense spending to result in increased conventional strength. As a result, NATO’s nuclear forces are still a