74th FAD

The 74th Field Artillery Detachment (74th FAD) was a United States Army unit active during the Cold War era. Assigned to NATO forces in Europe, the 74th FAD was responsible for the custody, maintenance, and readiness of nuclear warheads allocated for use by allied artillery units, primarily Belgian forces equipped with Honest John and later Lance missile systems. Stationed in West Germany, the detachment operated under strict security protocols and played a key role in the nuclear sharing arrangements designed to deter Soviet aggression. The unit was inactivated following the reduction of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe and the end of the Cold War.