Recommendation 30

The Department explained that it is starting to understand the practical requirements of becoming certified for the NATO nuclear mission. The Department needs to meet standards for handling, loading and using nuclear weapons. These standards are set by the United States since it provides the weapons, and the Department is learning from other nations that have been, or are becoming, certified. The Department told us that certification covers ground crew, pilots, infrastructure and the aircraft itself. It expects that there will be a requirement for additional training and potentially for additional personnel as well, although it does not expect to need significant additional infrastructure.65 We believe it is a reasonable assumption that this may end up proving more expensive. 60 C&AG’s Report, paras 2, 6 61 Q 117 62 Q 91 63 Q 92 64 Q 97 65 Q 96 16