(CNN) — President Donald trump appeared to confirm Wednesday that U.S. nuclear weapons are currently stationed at Incirlik air base in Turkey, making him the first U.S. official to publicly acknowledge what has been considered an open secret for years.

Sitting next to the Italian President in the oval office, trump was asked if he was concerned about the security of “up to 50 nuclear weapons at Incirlik air base” given the ongoing Turkish invasion of Syria – a situation that prompted bipartisan condemnation from members of Congress and suggestions that the weapons should be moved elsewhere.

“We are confident and we have a large-a large air base there, a very powerful air base. Only this airbase can be occupied anywhere. It’s a big, powerful air base, ” trump responded, apparently acknowledging that American nuclear weapons are stored in Turkey.

“And, you know, Turkey – that’s how people remember-Turkey is a member of NATO. We have to get along with our NATO members, and Turkey is a NATO member. Do people want US to start shooting at a NATO member? It would be the first time. And it’s all about NATO, ” he added.

However, Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in Northern Syria after trump announced the withdrawal of us troops from the region has cast doubt on its status as an American ally and NATO ally.

And despite trump’s claims to the contrary, Turkey’s actions prompted state Department and energy Department officials to conduct an urgent review to assess the removal of nuclear weapons from Incirlik and at what speed, if so, a source briefed on the matter told CNN.

CNN has contacted the State Department for comment.

The review was first reported by the New York Times.

While it remains unclear whether the administration will move forward with a plan to move those assets, sources tell CNN that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle support exploring the possibility as some lawmakers believe the move is long Overdue.

The US has long had nuclear weapons in Turkey, most notably missiles that John F. Kennedy secretly withdrew from the country after the 1962 Caribbean crisis, when the Soviet Union and America descended from the brink of nuclear confrontation.

In the 1950s, a joint us-Turkish air base, Incirlik, was established in southeastern Turkey. The base played a crucial role in the fight against ISIS when the US launched strikes in neighbouring Syria.

Questions about the safety of U.S. nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey have been raised constantly since the failed coup in 2016 against Erdogan, and in recent years, the issue has been almost constantly considered by U.S. military officials.

But these concerns have taken on new urgency in connection with Turkey’s actions in Syria

“The next question for Trump (and the MOD) should be why the United States continues to store nuclear weapons in Turkey, given that Turkey is an increasingly unreliable ally” and “the proximity of weapons to a war zone,” Kingston Reif, Director of disarmament and threat reduction policy at the nonpartisan arms control Association, told CNN.

According to Hans M. Christensen, Director of the nuclear information project of the nonprofit Federation of American scientists, the number of bombs in Incirlik has dropped from 90 in 2000 over the past two decades. around 2005, as part of the George W. Bush administration’s unilateral nuclear arms reductions in Europe.

“The remaining 50 bombs were intended by American aircraft, although Turkey never allowed the US air force to permanently base fighter squadrons in Incirlik. Planes must fly in during a crisis to pick up weapons or they must be sent to other locations before being used. As a result, the nuclear position at Incirlik has been more of a storage location than a fighter-bomber base for the past two decades, ” Christensen wrote Wednesday.

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