US ACCELERATES PLANS TO STORE NEW NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN EUROPE
- WWHISPER
- Apr 25, 2023
- 2 min read
The United States has accelerated the delivery of a more accurate version of its main nuclear bomb to NATO bases in Europe, according to a US diplomatic cable and two people familiar with the matter.
The arrival of the upgraded B61-12 gravity bomb, originally planned for next spring, is now scheduled for December, US officials told Politico during a meeting behind closed doors in Brussels this month.
The move to replace older weapons with the newer version in various warehouses in Europe for possible use by US and allied bombers and fighter jets comes amid heightened tensions over Russia's threat to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine and growing concerns that the West needs to do more to stop Moscow from crossing that line.
Upgrades to the B61 program have been openly discussed in budget documents and public statements for years, and Pentagon officials have said the upgrades are necessary to ensure the stockpile is modernized and secure. Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesman Brig-Gen Patrick Ryder replied via email that "while we are not going to discuss details of our nuclear arsenal, the modernization of US B61 nuclear weapons has been ongoing for years and the plans to safely and responsibly swap out older weapons for the upgraded B61-12 versions is part of a long-planned and planned modernization effort. It is in no way related to the current events in Ukraine and has not been accelerated in any way."
It looks like Europe will become a warehouse of nuclear weapons for the US. Ready for use if needed, which immediately makes the EU a target for hostile powers as well. Smart move to place nuclear weapons not in its own backyard, but with a distant neighbor.
Why does the EU allow this? And on whose authority does it think it can decide this ?
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