A Russian official said Saturday that the US is lowering the “nuclear threshold” by sending an upgraded version of its B61 nuclear bomb to NATO bases in Europe.
The B61 is the US’s primary thermonuclear gravity bomb, and it is being modernized into a newer weapon known as the B61-12. Politico reported last week that the US told NATO allies at a recent meeting that it is deploying the B-61-12 to Europe to replace older bombs by this December, a faster timeline than the originally planned spring deployment.
“We cannot ignore the plans to modernize nuclear weapons, those free-fall bombs that are in Europe,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, according to Russia’s RIA news agency.
The US has approximately 100 B61s currently stored at air bases in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Turkey. According to the Federation of American Scientists, the B61-12s carry a lower yield and are more accurate than older B61s.
“The United States is modernizing them, increasing their accuracy and reducing the power of the nuclear charge, that is, they turn these weapons into ‘battlefield weapons,’ thereby reducing the nuclear threshold,” Grushko said.
The B61s deployed in Europe are part of the US’s nuclear arsenal that are considered tactical weapons, which have smaller yields than strategic ones. The US has an estimated 200 tactical nuclear weapons, while Russia is said to have about 2,000. US tactical nuclear weapons range from between 0.3 and 170 kilotons (the bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of 15 kilotons).
The plans to deploy the B61-12s to Europe by December have puzzled experts as the accelerated timeline does little but raises tensions with Russia. The Pentagon insists its B61-12 plans have nothing to do with the current situation and denies the characterization of the Politico report.
“Modernization of US B61 nuclear weapons has been underway for years, and plans to safely and responsibly swap out older weapons for the upgraded B61-12 versions are part of a long-planned and scheduled modernization effort,” a Pentagon spokesman said, according to Reuters. “It is in no way linked to current events in Ukraine and was not sped up in any way.”
Another part of the B61-12 upgrade is that it will allow the bomb to be carried by all US and allied bombers and fighter jets. The revelation of the planned deployment came as NATO was holding its nuclear Steadfast Noon exercises, which are due to conclude on Sunday. The drills were hosted by Belgium and involved 14 NATO members and about 60 aircraft that simulated dropping nuclear bombs.
Good one — “Modernization of US B61 nuclear weapons …to safely and responsibly swap out older weapons for the upgraded B61-12″ — so for us to be “safer” we must be infinitely less safe. That’s our military and political and, of course, merchants of death acting on our behalf. Bless ’em all!
an oxymoron, isn’t it?
We have to blow up the world in order to save it.
“Russia Says US Lowering ‘Nuclear Threshold’ By Upgrading Nukes in Europe The US is replacing its B-61 nuclear bombs at air bases in Europe with an upgraded version”
In liberal California the number of F#@K Joe Biden bumper stickers has skyrocketed.
I am a California resident and I have been a Democrat since 1984 (after being a Republican since my high school years. I am 78. That said, I am tempted to ask my neighbor where he got his flag. Just thinking about my act of voting for Biden makes me gag.
Ditto here. Would never vote for the man again.
Essentially, we have 3 options: 1 – a small nuclear war in Europe, where nukes are not used against US and Russia. After which, east and central European countries abandon NATO. 2 – a big nuclear war with a very much destructive, but unpredictable outcome. 3 – regime change in US.
door number 3 seems the most peaceful. Let’s give peace a chance…
Except that in America the more things change the more they stay the same.
The number 3 is the best, but it depends exclusively upon American people.
So, it won’t happen. At least in the way you are thinking. We had 150 million people cast votes for Biden and Trump. We are beyond hope.
Voting under the system we have represents the hopium of the masses alright.
How in the world are we going to depose the MIC???
Unfortunately, the socialist ideas are very weak in US. So, the nationalization of MIC is impossible. However, the situation may change.
“American People” like Hillary Clinton, Victoria Nulled, Jeffrey Pratt, Ole Joe Bye Done, And our Nobel Peace Prize Winner Ex Chief of acts of WAR Abominations!!! The OOOOOOO man from ??????????????????????????
We don’t have any good statesmen in America today.
When the situation is ready, the statesmen will appear. Some positive things are happening too. They say, in recent months, the number of Orthodox Christians in US increased quite substantially. Also, the resistance to the sex education in schools is growing. Many people are discontent and fed up with the lies.
Europeans need to wake up to this scenario to understand that it’s not worthwhile letting Europe go up in a nuclear cloud to save US imperialism, which is doomed anyways.
Usually, Europeans wake up when it is too late.
It’s truly amazing to see the Europeans ignore the doom they’re bringing upon themselves. After going through WWI and WWII, they want WWIII? Thanks to Einstein, we have his definition of “insanity.” What’s the definition of stupid insanity?
During the Cold war, Europeans were told that only US nukes could defend them against the Commies because the Soviets had conventional superiority. Now that the Commies are gone, the Poles are eager to get US nukes so they can piss Putin against the leg. The Aegis land-based ABM sites the US is building in Romania and Poland can be converted overnight to accommodate nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. The Russians would have to target these sites in any war with Nato because they can’t be sure that these sites haven’t already been converted to nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
“they can’t be sure that these sites haven’t already been converted to nuclear-tipped cruise missiles” – I think they are sure that it is already done.
They are playing with words. A 170 kiloton bomb with more than 10 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb isn’t a tactical battlefield weapon.
US low-yield nuclear bombs with 0.3 kilotons can indeed be used as tactical battlefield weapons. As far as I know, Russia does not have those. Thus, by deploying low-yield nuclear bombs to Europe the US is indeed lowering the threshold for nuclear war.
Moreover, the US always had a first strike nuclear doctrine, no matter if they admitted it or not. During the cold war, it was always assumed that the West would only be able to stop a conventional Soviet attack by nuclear weapons. There were plenty of Nato maneuvers in which the North European plain between the Weser river and the Weichsel river was the theater for a nuclear war. In these maneuvers, the orders to use nuclear weapons always came from Washington. Europeans didn’t have a say.
Any technology is there for first nuclear attacks destroyed before hit the target destroyed in sky by possible “Nuclear Observations Centre” established?
Or collaboration with 2 Nuclear power scenarios?
I sure hope all that money is wasted.
So it seems apparent that contentions the U.S. has lowered the yeild of its nuclear arsenal to “make them more usable.”and unfortunately, lowered deterrence. It’s quitell simple, an easy “No Brainerd” As expected, the yeild numbers are NOT to be made public is seems. As In many, if not all situations the devil is in the details, and as I suspect, the profits of the corporations doing this “Downgrade in Deterrence” and most likely campaign contributions to poilitians who ran this I’ll advised “scam” on our deterrence.
The reason the US is “modernizing” its nuclear arsenal is that that’s an excuse to throw another $11 billion at a consortium of “defense contractors.”
For all we know, the “modernization” process involves someone sitting in a warehouse full of B16s, reading James Joyce to them and giving them lectures on gender diversity.
Yes, Fully agree, The lack of information on this “UPGRADE” has been alarming. One would think that any downgrade in Yield might also also produce some orphan plutonium which has in the past gone missing. Makes one wonder how mush the asking price for a kilo is on the jet black market..!!!
Much of the modernization program was really done in advanced precision guided technology and longer range delivery of precision guided weapons. It was put in the nuclear budget because some nuclear warheads would be used, and it was all far too expensive to get funded in any other way.
The modernization is the addition of terminal guidance which allows for greater accuracy, and the purported lower yield is because the lower impact error allows a smaller blast radius, and I guess lower yielding nuclear weapons are generally less horrifying. Also, terminal guidance and variable yield costs more. So the upgrade has a lot going for it.
I don’t often agree with Kremlin announcements, but sadly I do agree with this one. We should stop
But we won’t.
The US has had a longstanding drive to lower the nuclear threshold and make nukes “useable.” That has been going on since Rumsfeld working for Dubya.
These new bombs were intended to be part of that effort, which has many other (very expensive) parts.
On December 13, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush, who argued that Washington and Moscow no longer needed to base their relationship on their ability to destroy each other, announced that the United States would withdraw from the ABM Treaty, claiming that it prevented U.S. development of defenses against possible terrorist or “rogue-state” ballistic missile attacks. During his presidential campaign, Bush said he would offer amendments on the treaty to Russia and would withdraw the United States from the accord if Russia rejected the proposed changes. However, the Bush administration never proposed amendments to the treaty in its talks with Russia on the subject. Although of “unlimited duration,” the treaty permits a state-party to withdraw from the accord if “extraordinary events…have jeopardized its supreme interests.” The U.S. withdrawal took effect June 13, 2002, and the treaty is no longer in force.
Hence the plethora of new Russian offensive nuclear weapons, my personal favorite of which is the Poseidon (100 kts/100(?) MT), which they should have named the GWBJr-1. I wonder how many warheads are targeted on GWJr’s ranch.
US is replacing its B-61 nuclear bombs …. with an upgraded version
black market for the old ones
Must be difficult to sell,because if the device used then they can identify which country manufacturer,like if destroyed ford mustang then any smallest part can be identified that car was Mustang. I guessed that’s why we didn’t see any nuclear attacks so far, although it’s a pleasant surprised that didn’t happened.
Although like one used for Nagasaki used again one of these warmongers city’s,then it might help them to be more peaceful.
Russia too has lowered the Nuclear Threshold by:
1. Talking nukes and making nuclear threats since the start of the invasion.
2. Russia putting its Nuclear Forces on Alert.
3. Russia announces its first Zircon (Russian Navy Nuclear Hypersonic Missile) test.
4. Russia making Belarus change its ‘non nuclear status’ and accept to host the delivery of Russian Nuclear warheads.
5. Putin illegally annexed 4 regions of Ukraine and stated he will protect them with nukes if necessary.
6. Putin watching its first Strategic Nuclear drills 5 days ago.
7. Russia continues to upgrade Nuclear Weapons Storage Site In Kaliningrad
Hmm, One would wonder why the US has made so much Nuclear noise.
Because they know they are losing. No matter how it ends, the USA will have no allies left.
NATO is already falling apart, as with the invasion of Iraq, now Biden is looking for a” coalition of the willing”, at the end the UK, Austalia and Canada maybe the only allies left, the world will be done with the USA hegemon.
Smart Biden and Neocons stabbed their allies in the back, now they have none, the EU has been destroyed economically too. Nothing but scorched earth will be left, that is the price for all the military power, the nation with the biggest military budget will have to show for all the money they wasted instead of funding education, health care, infrastructure, housing and child care all of that has been underfunded for decades. Now socially we compare with third world countries, this nation has cities lacking potable water for many poorer, they often don’t even have a supermarket near by.
The excessive use of economic sanctions and regime change tactics have a boomerang effect. It’s like US leaders don’t know how to interact with the world except by extorsion and threats. It’s hilarious how Biden expected MBS, the Saudi leader, the help Biden win the mid-term election by increasing Saudi oil output. MBS knows that the Americans tried to topple his government to put a pro-American leader in place. The same goes for Erdogan and many other leaders who are under constant threat from American sanctions or regime change tactics. The Americans are so full of themselves that they expect favors from leaders they tried to depose.
How do the Americans expect favors from people t
They all can see how the USA treats its allies, see Germany and EU. They stabbed Germany in the back, deindustrializing Germany is deliberate, not unexpected. With Germany goes the EU, to destroy NS I and II speaks volumes. Like Henry Kissinger said: to be a friend of the USA is fatal. With the EU goes NATO, the USA has no friend left. The allies are coerced allies, only the UK still believes it is special. Not really, the US will throw the UK under the bus too.
The US needed Germany and Western Europe after the war as bulwark against the Soviet Union. Now, that the iron curtain has moved eastward, the US can dump the “old Europe” while using the “new Europe” of Poland’s Intermarum project stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea as bulwark against the Russian Federation. Thus, for the US it makes perfect sense to destroy Germany economically, while propping up Eastern Europe. Wonder how long the Germans take to figure that out.
I read Scholz is to visit China, it was reported as a negative and nothing in MSM, it may only been a trial balloon. The German corporations have interests too and they are powerful. The closing of much of BASF is a more than loud alarm signal. China, Russia, Germany and EU, and India, and the AE on one side and the USA and UK, Australia and maybe Canada on the other side would not go down well. Sanctions and threats of consequences have not made friends, senile old Joe and his neocons don’t seam to get it.
Man, you are just so full of sh*t. You start off with bullsh*t and it and you end with bullsh*t with nothing but bullsh*t in between. Once again ignoring everything that Russia was REACTING to.
Boiletplate. Problem is most of it is historically inaccurate (1, 5) or irrelevant (2,3,6, 7). Last I heard the president of Belarus has stated that Belarus will not host Russian nuclear weapons. So this leaves us with, what….?
I know it’s a forlorn hope, but I continue to dream that a touch of sanity could break out.
False! The Russian government has not once referred to the use of nuclear weapons since the start of the special operation. In fact, it has been repeatedly pointed out that there is no scenario in which Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and the Russian nuclear doctrine explicitly excludes the use of nuclear weapon.
Western leaders, on the other hand, have repeatedly talked up the possibility of using nuclear weapons. Selensky has demanded nuclear weapons and a preventive strike on Russia.
That is standard procedure in any crisis. It happened in 2014.
The Zircon was tested years ago. That has nothing to do with the current crisis. Anyways, Zircon can also carry conventional weapons.
While the US violates the non-proliferation treaty by supplying nuclear weapons to client states in Europe and Asia, Russia does not violate the non-proliferation treaty since it does not envision to station nuclear weapons abroad.
The citizens in the 4 regions voted to reunite with Russia because of continued repression of ethnic minorities by the Kyiv regime. The self-determination of people is not illegal because it is very important under the UN Charta.
The Russian nuclear drills were preceded by Nato nuclear drills simulating a nuclear attack on Russia.
Even if that were true, it would make perfect sense because of US missiles being stationed closer to Russia.
Relying on the war propaganda spread by the Western MSM leads to wrong conclusions.
If Ukraine wants to be sovereign again then they need to oust the illegal Nazi regime in Kiev and hold democratic elections. If Ukraine wants to be sovereign again they need to stop assassinating opposition leaders, they need to re-instate 13 political parties banned and they need to release the leaders of these parties from captivity.
Ukraine to date has not made a formal declaration of war, why? Neither has US/EU/NATO made a declaration of war but continue to attack Russia. There is a point where Russia will declare war against US/EU/NATO that point is fast approaching.
Russia has intervened to protect the ethnic Russian population from genocide. This bloody genocidal war that the Nazi’s in Kiev are undertaking has been ongoing for nearly 9 years.
This winter the Europeans are going to be cold, hungry and in the dark. If US/NATO escalates they will also be dead.
The Russian MOD is disarming NATO, tank by tank, artillery by artillery, air defense by air defense. What they loose in the Ukraine, they loose for the final global war. This is what a war of attrition is.
Russia is inflicting a 10:1 kill ratio. And NATO overall has the following equipment losses;
328 Aircraft, 167 helicopters, 2393 UAV’s, 384 Anti Aircraft systems, 6213 tanks inc. APC’s, 879 multiple rocket launchers, 3540 rocket launchers and 6920 military automotive equipment.