Part of my
Advent Crown writeup that didn't make it over to this thread (mostly because it didn't have a specific date attached to it) addresses this:
"NATO commanders held back one fourth of their remaining deep strike aircraft as a tactical nuclear reserve. At most NATO airbases, the pair of hardened aircraft shelters closest to the taxiway sat full at all times with quick reaction aircraft, fueled, crewed and loaded with B-61 nuclear bombs, ready to retaliate against any Soviet nuclear strike. An entire F-111 wing in the UK was also on standby, although their targets were gradually overrun by NATO infantry. Strategic reconnaissance assets scrambled to identify where the Western TVD and various Front headquarters displaced to, and USAFEUR and SAC had to update target allocation between theater and strategic targets as the theater area of operations extended into the Soviet Union."
So as attrition wears down the strike aircraft fleet a few aircraft get released, in addition to the Pershing and Ground Launched Cruise Missile fleets and the older SSBNs that are assigned theater missions in the NATO nuclear plan. That force is augmented by the pair of British Resolution-class SSBNs that have their retirement delayed, bringing the Royal Navy up to 6 boomers.