ANALYSIS INFORMATION FROM A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

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DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM

THE B61-12 DETERRENCE

Hello friends! Making a weapon twice as accurate has the same effect on lethality as making the warhead eight times as powerful, did you know that?

"Phrased another way, making the missile twice as precise would only require one-eighth the explosive power to maintain the same lethality."

Furthermore, radiological fallout operates according to Newton’s inverse square law. A spe- cified physical quantity or intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. Now, let us take a look at the new F35 plane and how the new thermonuclear bomb, the B61-12 fits into that. Stay tuned. cheers!

    EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON           CAN DO THE SAME JOB FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE OF THE F-35

"Norway has an almost incestous relationship with the United States, they can't do anything here without first asking the US! And if that isn't enough, Norways police and intelligence are working for the US State Department and the CIA feeding them information on Norwegian citizens, I mean how incestous can it get?!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Harald Dahle

   A NUCLEAR WAR IS UNSURVIVABLE  

Early French nuclear tests on the Muroroa Atoll, 1967

The new F35's are nuclear delivery platforms that each can take two B61 nuclear bombs

 Above: B61-12's in the F35 bomb bay

F15E STRIKE EAGLE WITH TWO B61-12 dummy nuclear bombs

The U.S. Air Force has been conducting a series of test drops in Nevada, of the latest Life Ex- tention Program upgrade to the B61 line of nuclear weapons, the B61-12. These tests invol- ved the F15E Strike Eagles of the 422nd Test Evaluation Squadron as shown here bellow. Pic- ture is taken by The Aviatioanist's contributor Eric Bowen.

Thermonucklear B61-12

180 B61-12's in Europe by 2020

The B61 nuclear bomb is one of the primary thermonuclear veapon in the US nuclear arse- nal. Enduring stockpile following the end of the Cold War It is an intermediate-yield strate- gic and tactical nuclear veapon featuring a two-stage radiation implotion design.

The B61 is a variable yeld bomb, 0.3 to 340 kiloton yield in various versions and settings, de- signed for carriage by high-speed aircraft. It has a streamlined casing capable of withstand- ing sup- ersonic flight speeds.

The weapon is 3.58 m long, with a diameter of about 33 cm. Basic weight is about 320 kg although the weights of individual weapons may vary depending on version and fuze/retar- dation configuration.

B61 with variable yeld  drop-tested in 2015

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The B61 12 is delivered in four different bomb types

B61-12'S TO GERMANY

CLICK & PLAY BELOW

In a potential nuclear war with Russia, Germany will be totally wiped out

 DESIGN OF THE B61-12

The B61 is a variable yield bomb designed for carriage by high-speed aircraft. It has a streamlined casing capable of withstanding supersonic flight speeds. The weapon is 11 ft 8 in (3.58 m) long, with a diameter of about 33 cm. Basic weight is about 320 kg, although the weights of individual weapons may vary, depending on version and fuze/retardation configuration.

B61 administrative procedures performed by ground-based personnel are executed via an access panel located on the side of the bomb, which opens to reveal 9 dials, 2 sockets and a T-handle which manually triggers the "command disable" function. One of the sockets is a MC4142 "strike enable" plug which must be inserted in order to complete critical circuits in the safety/arming and firing mechanisms. The other socket is the PAL connector located in the top right hand corner of the arming panel, which has 23 pins marked with alphabetic letter codes.

The B61 also features a "command disable" mechanism, which functions as follows: after entering the correct 3-digit numeric code it is then possible to turn a dial to "DI" and pull back a T-shaped handle which comes away in the user's hand. This action releases a spring-loaded firing pin which fires the percussion cap on an MC4246A thermal battery, powering it up. Electrical power from the thermal battery is sufficient to "fry" the internal circuitry of the bomb, destroying critical mechanisms without causing detonation. This makes the bomb incapable of being used. Any B61 which has had the command disable facility used must be returned to Pantex for repair.

The newest variant is the B61 Mod 11, a hardened penetration bomb with a reinforced casing (according to some sources, containing depleted uranium) and a delayed-action fuze, allowing it to penetrate several metres into the ground before detonating damaging fortified structures further underground. The Mod 11 weighs about 1,200 lb (540 kg). Developed from 1994, the Mod 11 went into service in 1997 replacing the older megaton-yield B53 bomb. About 50 Mod 11 bombs have been produced, their warheads converted from Mod 7 bombs. At present, the primary carrier for the B61 Mod 11 is the B-2 Spirit.

Most versions of the B61 are equipped with a parachute retarder (currently a 24-ft (7.3 m) diameter nylon/Kevlar chute) to slow the weapon in its descent. This offers the aircraft a chance to escape the blast or allows the weapon to survive impact with the ground in laydown mode. The B61 can be set for airburst, ground burst, or laydown detonation, and can be released at speeds up to Mach 2 and altitudes as low as 50 feet (15 m).

The B61 is a variable yield, kiloton-range weapon called "Full Fuzing Option"(FUFO) or "Dial-a-yield" by many service personnel. Tactical versions (Mods 3, 4, and 10) can be set to 0.3, 1.5, 5, 10, 45, 60, 80, or 170 kiloton explosive yield (depending on version). The strategic version (B61 Mod 7) has four yield options, with a maximum of 340 kilotons. Sources conflict on the yield of the earth-penetrating Mod 11; the physics package or bomb core components of the Mod 11 are apparently unchanged from the earlier strategic Mod 7; however, the declassified 2001 Nuclear Posture Review states that the B-61-11 has only a single yield; some sources indicate 10 kt, others suggest the 340 kiloton maximum yield as the Mod 7.

The U.S. intended to refurbish the B61 bombs under its Life Extension Program with the intention that the weapons should remain operational until at least 2025.However, the United States Congress ordered that this work be stopped, pending reports from the National Acade- my of Sciences and JASON defense advisory panel.

In May 2010 the National Nuclear Security Administration asked Congress for $40 million to redesign the bomb to enable the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to carry the weapon inter- nally by 2017. This version is designated Mod 12. The four hundred B61-12 bombs will be used by both tactical aircraft (such as the F-35) and strategic aircraft (such as the B-2) and the Tail Subassembly (TSA) will give them Joint Direct Attack Munition levels of accuracy, allowing the fifty kiloton warhead to have strategic effects from all carrying aircraft.

However, refitting the 400 weapons is now expected to cost over $10 billion. The B61 Mod 12 tail assembly contract was awarded to Boeing on November 27, 2012 for $178 million. Boeing will use their experience with the Joint Direct Attack Munition to yield JDAM equivalent accuracy in a nuclear bomb.

This contract is only the first part of the billion dollar expense of producing and applying the tail kits, over and above the $10 billion cost to refurbish the warheads. The B61-12 uses an internal guidance system and can glide to its target. The bomb has four selectable yields: 0.3; 5; 10; and 50 kilotons.

THE EUROPEAN NATO   NUCLEAR ARSENAL

NATO's new B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb

In NATO Strategic Concept the US, UK and French nuclear arsenals are mentioned in general terms as support of the deterrent role. Directly assigned to NATO are the following nuclear weapons,

US tactical B61 plane bombs, 480 bombs in the Netherlands Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Turkey.

Nuclear missiles on the 4 UK Trident submarines, each with a maximum of 48 nuclear warheads on board.

Nuclear missiles on US Trident submarines: 4 of 15 are assigned to NATO with 24 missiles on each submarine.

 B61-12

B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs in an undisclosed vault

Close call 1: An "Eurofighter Typhoon" interceptor photographed from a Russian "Bear"

USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGAINST NON NUCLEAR STATE

Under US pressure, NATO has since 2000 allowed a new strategy which permits the use of nuclear wapons against states who do not posess nuclear veapons them selves. After the Cold War the US changed it's nuclear stategy. Originally nuclear veapons were used to deter other nuclear weapon states.

Close call 2: An "Eurofighter Typhoon" interceptor showing off its veaponry

         EUROPEAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS       PART OF WIDER MIDDLE EAST PLAN

Documents of USSTRATCOM, released under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that US nuclear weapons on European soil have a role in the US war planning in the Middle East.

Countries that did not posses nuclear veapons were not threatened by them. Since the 90'ies the US broadened the role of nuclear weapons. Also countries which the US suppos- ed to posess weapons of mass destruction, like chemical or biological weapons, are now threatened with nuclear weapons.

NATO nuclear deterrent: Vanguard class Trident II, D5

SECRET DOCUMENT MC 400/2

Because many more countries have the potential today to posses chemical or biological we- apons than nuclear weapons, many more countries are now the target of US  nuclear weap- ons. NATO accepted a similar doctrine in June 2000 by adopting a revision of her military strategy in the secret document MC 400/2.

A Trident II, Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) D5 with Multiple Independent Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV)

NUCLEAR WEAPONS NOW TO BE USED AS "PREVENTIVE DEFENCE"

The first use of nuclear weapons are now possible against an enemy that is supposed to posses any sort of weapon of mass destruction. This new, nuclear stategy, combined with an active policy of military intervention and concepts like "preventive defence" make nuclear weapons much more threatening to a whole new range of countries and pulls them in a new arms race.

the B61-12 accuracy

MORE ACCURACY = LESS EXPLOSIVES

Making a weapon twice as accurate has the same effect on lethality as making the warhead eight times as powerful. Furthermore, radiological fallout operates according to Newton’s inverse square law. A specified physical quantity or intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. 

 NATO's EASTWARD EXPANSION

    HOW THE WEST          BROKE IT'S PROMISE TO MOSCOW

During negotiations over German reunification in 1990, did the United States promise the Soviet Union that NATO would not expand into eastern Europe? The answer remains subject to heated debate. Today, Moscow defends its invasion of Ukraine by claiming that NATO regened on a promise to stay  out of Russia's backyard. Sceptics, meanwhile, counter that Russian claims are a pretexts for aggression; in their view, Washington and its allies never formally committed to forego NATO expansion.

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            Dramatic footage from hight of the October 1961 US-Soviet Berlin standoff, Friedrichstrasse.The skeptics are correct that the two sides never codified a deal on NATO’s future presence in the east. But they misinterpret the precise implications of negotiations that took place throughout 1990. After all, scholars and practitioners have long recognized that informal commitments count in world politics. This was particularly true during the Cold War: as the historian Marc Trachtenberg has shown, the Cold War settlement itself emerged from European, Soviet, and U.S. diplomatic initiatives in the late 1950s and 1960s that were not formalized until nearly a decade later.

The rest of this article can be found under NATO OTAN DEFENCE, in the last section at the end

  The Russian Federation              the largest landmassed country, here with it's military districts.

       REPLACING TRIDENT?               A key issue for the 2016 Parliament

       

In 2016 decisions will be made on taking the programme forward, including the size of the de- terrent fleet, which is expected to enter service from 2028. A decision on any replace- ment warhead is expected to be made around 2019. In the context of changing strategic threats and constraints on the overall defence budget, questions will continue to be asked about the ratio- nality and cost-effectiveness of the programme.

THE VANGUARD CLASS

The Vanguard-class is a British class of nuclear powered ballistic submarines in service of the Royal Navy. Each submarine is armed with up to 16 UGM-133 Trident II missiles. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme. The class includes four submarines: Vanguard, Victorius, Vigilant and Vengeance. They were built at Barrow-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering between 1986 and 1999, which is now owned by BAE Systems. The subs are based at HM Naval Base Clyde, west of Glasgow, Scotland.

 On 3 September 1986, Margaret Tatcher laid the keel of the first Trident submarines HMS Vanguard, at Vickers shipyard in Barrow. President Jimmy Carter and Margaret Tatcher had agreed upon creating the Trident Nuclear Deterrent. Prime Minister Margaret Tatcher  here with President Jimmy Carter, below.

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  The Trident Submarine Missile System

Although it has reduced its nuclear stockpile since the end of the Cold War, the UK main- tains a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, now based solely on the submarine-launched Trident system, which consists of four Vanguard-class submarines, Trident II D5 missiles and associated warhead. The Labour Government committed in 2006 to renewing the UK’s nu-  clear deterrent, and this position was endorsed by the next Government’s Strategic Defense and Security Review in 2010.

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HMS Vanguard Trident II D5 ballistic missile launch

Hacker: I don’t want to obliterate the whole of eastern Europe.

Sir Humphrey: But it’s a deterrent.

Hacker: It’s a bluff. I probably wouldn’t use it.

Sir Humphrey: Yes, but they don’t know that you probably wouldn’t.

Hacker: They probably do.

Sir Humphrey: Yes, they probably know that you probably wouldn’t. But they can’t certainly know.

Hacker: They probably certainly know that I probably wouldn’t.

Sir Humphrey: Yes, but even though they probably certainly know that you probably wouldn’t, they don’t certainly know that, although you probably wouldn’t, there is no probability that you certainly would.

Hacker: What?

This wizard-behind-the-curtain aspect of Trident is the official reason for having it. What matters is belief. The navy could fill the sharp end of a Trident missile with straw, but if the straw could be kept a perfect secret and the world went on believing that instead of straw there were warheads capable of destroying 266 cities, each the size of Hiroshima, then Trident would be doing its job. If it had to be used, then the world, or what was left of it, would of course discover the truth. But if it had to be used, it wouldn’t have worked and there would be few of us left to care.

England, The Ministry of Defence

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The nuclear button Flag of the British Royal Navy

    THE "TRIDENT" NUCLEAR

  DETERRENT

Royal Naval Armaments Depot RNAD  Coulport Helensburgh Argyll, Scotland

It is the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads of the United Kingdom's Trid- ent Programme. The base, near the village of Coulport, has up to 16 reinforced concrete bunkers built into the hillside on the eastern shore of Loch Long. It is the last depot in the UK to retain the "RNAD" designation, indicating a Royal Navy Armament Depot.

COULPORT FLOATING EXPLOSIVES HANDLING JETTY

The Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) at Coulport, Loch Long is the other major part of HMNB Clyde. RNAD Coulport stores conventional armaments for Royal Navy vessels but is best known for its role in the Trident missile system.

Two docks are located on the shoreline at the foot of the hill. There, weapons are loaded onto Vanguard nuclear submarines before they go on patrol and unloaded before they return to base at nearby Faslane. Below, the Faslane Marine and Submarine Doc.

Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde

Faslane, officialle called "Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde (HMS Neptune)" is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy the others being HMNB De- venport and HMNB Portsmouth. It is the service's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent, in the form of nuc- lear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

            RNAD COULPORT              H.M. Naval Base Clyde

ROYAL NAVY ARMAMENTS NUCLEAR DEPOT, RNAD

A 1.9 BILLION BRITISH POUND PROJECT

The Trident Works Programme at Coulport and Faslane co-ordinated by the Property Service Agency, took 13 years to complete. Planning work at Coulport began in 1982 and the esti- mated final cost for the entire programme, at 1994 prices, was approximately £1.9 billion. This made it the second most expensive procurement project in the UK after the Channel Tunnel project. Below, Naval Armaments Depot entrances to deep, reinforced concret stor- age vaults.

Bases are close to Scotlands most populated city, Glasgow with 596.000 inhabitants.

     The "VIRGINIA" class             Attack Submarine USS Virgina (SSN774)

Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde Scotland

The Vanguard class HMS "Vigilant" Trident II D5

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The Royal Navy Vanguard Class SSBN, HMS Vigilant, test launches a UGM-133 Trident II Nuclear Submarine-launched missile 

'Trident' is an operational system of four Vanguard Class submarines armed with Trident II D-5 Ballistic missiles, able to deliver thermonuclear warheads from multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV). Below, a Vanguard sub has returned to Coulport base.

Below, one of Great Britain's hangar ships passing Coulport on its way out to the sea

 UGM-27 POLARIS SUBMARINE LAUNCHED MISSILE

The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launch- ed ballistic missile (SLBM) built during the Cold War by Locheed Corporation for the United States Navy. It was designed to be used for second strike countervalue, not good enough for first strike counterforce. The Polaris was first launched from the Cape Canaveral Florida mis- sile test bas on January 7, 1960.

 The "W88" Warhead

The MIRV'ed D5 ballistic missile

TRIDENT II, D5 MISSILE

    Made By Locheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale

The D5 missile has three rocket motor stages powered by solid-fuel propellant and weighs more than 130,000 pounds. The D5 is the latest in a line of fleet ballistic missiles, which began with the Polaris A-1 in 1960. The D5 has a greater range, payload, and accuracy than its predecessors, since it incorporates many state-of-the-art technological advances in elec- tronics and rocketry.

The D5 is the heart of the Trident weapons system, which also includes the submarine, sup- port equipment, and shore facilities. The system is designed to be America's sea borne det- errent to strategic war.

D5 is the "heart" of the trident missile deterrent

Air Force photo of the first launch of a Trident missile on Jan. 18, 1977 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. 

Bellow, submarine launched Trident II, D5 missile

 A thermonuclear warhead

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How to Launch a Nuclear Missile

European Coordinated Missile Shield

 NATO's NUCLEAR BASES

 AND "NUCLEAR READY-MADE" BASES IN EUROPE PER 2015

THE UNITED KINGDOM

The bases at Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Chicksands, Greenham Common, Sculthorpe, Weth- ersfield and Upper Heyford were closed by the end of 1993. Alconbury's flightline was clos- ed, and its base support functions were taken over by RAF Molesworth. Consolidations were made both at Lakenheath and Mildenhall, leaving them the only two fully equipped USAFE bases in the UK.

      The two main remaining US Support bases in England now are:

 RAF Lakenheath (SAC/USAFE)

The United States has withdrawn nuclear weapons from the RAF Lakenheath air base 70 miles northeast of London, marking the end to more than 50 years of U.S. nuclear weapons deployment to the United Kingdom, since the first nuclear bombs arrived September 1954.

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  RAF Lakenheath F-15 Viewing Area

The 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath is the Statue of Liberty Wing, the only USAF wing with both a number and a name.

  Tactical squadrons of the 48th Operations Group consist of:

 492d Fighter Squadron, F-15E

 494th Fighter Squadron, F-15E

 493d Fighter Squadron, F-15C/D

RAF Mildenhall (SAC/USAFE/AMC)

RAF Mildenhall hosts units from four different major USAF commands Air Combat Com- mand, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Mobility Command and United States Air Forces in Europe as well as units of the United States Navy.

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   Two USAF KC-10 Tankers depart RAF Mildenhall

     Today's deployments at Mildenhall consist of:     

      The 100th Air Fueling Wing

      727th Air Mobility Quadron

      488th Intelligence Squadron

       352d Special Operations Wing

       95th Reconnaissance Squadron

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 Impressive F-15E Strike Eagle Mid Air Refueling

U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from U.S.-operated fighter base RAF Lakenheath is refueling

The withdrawal

 of nuclear weapons from Europe

US removes nuke from German base

The Pentagon announced its plans to consolidate its bases in Europe, including restructuring that would replace F-15 fighter jets with the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The withdrawal, which has not been officially announced but confirmed by several sources, follows the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Ramstein Air Base in Germany in 2005 and Greece in 2001.

The removal of nuclear weapons from three bases in two NATO countries in less than a decade undercuts the argument for continuing deployment in other European countries. Ready made bases: Bases that have all the necessary installation and preparedness to handle nuclear bombs in case of a deep crisis.

RAF Lakenheath, US Support Base  (Nuclear Ready-made)

RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel. The host wing is the 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing, assigned to United States Air For- ces in Europe (USAFE).

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Lakeheath close-up

PAVE PAWS RADARS

GLOBAL BALLISTIC MISSILE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

The U.S. Air Force maintains five PAVE Phased Array Warning System (PAWS) Early Warning Radars (EWR). These radars are capable of detecting ballistic missile attacks and conducting general space surveillance and satellite tracking. The acronym PAVE is a military program id- entification code. They are able to detect and track both intercontinental and sea-launched missile threats. Early warning and attack characterization data is sent to the United States' Missile Warning and Space Control Centers, the U.S. National Military Command Center and U.S. Strategic Command. Satellite tracking data is sent to the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) for processing.

Three systems have been modified to Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) status. They are located at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., Thule Air Force Base, Greenland and Fylingdales, England. The Fylingdales system is operated by the British Royal Air Force. The UEWR syst- ems have a co-primary mission to provide missile tracking data to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency Fire Control Center. The other two systems are located at Cape Cod Air Force Station, Mass., and Clear Air Force Base, Alaska.

The Unique Antenna Technology

The unique aspect of the radars is their phased array antenna technology. The systems diff- er from mechanical radars, which must be physically aimed at an object for tracking and ob- servation. The phased array antenna remains in a fixed position. Phased array antenna aim- ing, or beam steering, is done in millionths of a second by electronically controlling the tim- ing, or phase, of the incoming and outgoing signals. Controlling the phase through the many segments of the antenna system allows the beam to be rapidly projected in different direc- tions. This allows interweaving of tracking pulses with surveillance pulses, allowing tracking of multiple targets while maintaining the surveillance responsibility.

RAF Fylingdales, U.S. Early Warning System

RAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is "Vigilamus," meaning that "We are watching". It is a radar base and part of the United States-controlled Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. As part of intelligence shar- ing arrangements between the United States and United Kingdom, data collected at RAF Fylingdales are shared between the two countries.

 A 360 DEGREES

SOLID STATE PHASED ARRAY RADAR

Fylingdales, England

USAF Missile Warning & Space Surveilance

The Solid State Phased Array Radar System is a USAF radar, computer, and communications system for missile warning and space surveillance at five geographically separated units world wide including Beale AFB, CA, Cape Cod, MA, Clear AFB, AK, RAF Fylingdales, UK, and Thule AFB, Greenland. SSPARS completed replacement of the RCA474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System when the last SSPAR phased array radar with 2500 "solid state transmitter" modules was operational at Clear in 2001, the year SSPARS equipment included:

1 RAYTHEON AN/FPS PAVE PAWS RADAR at Beale and Cape Cod

2 RAYTHEON ANF/FPS-120 Solid State Phased Array Radar at Thule

3 RAYTHEON ANF/FPS-126  Solid State Phased Array Radar, Fylingdales

4 RAYTHEON AN/FPS-120 Solid State Phased Array Radar in Texas

Below, THULE Phased Array Radar, Greenland

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The U.S. Strategic Command, Thule Base

A phased array antenna, as with any other directional antenna, will receive signals from space only in the direction in which the beam is aimed. The maximum practical deflection on either side of antenna center of the phased array beam is 60 degrees. This limits the coverage from a single antenna face to 120 degrees.

To provide surveillance across the horizon, the building housing the entire system and supporting the antenna arrays is construc- ted in the shape of a triangle. The two building faces supporting the arrays, each covering 120 degrees, 240 degrees of azimuth. The array faces are also tilted back 20 degrees to allow for an elevation deflection from three to 85 degrees above horizontal.

Below, CAPE COD Phased Array Radar, USA

The radar system is capable of detecting and tracking multiple targets that would be indica- tive of a massive missile attack. The system must rapidly discriminate between vehicle typ- es, calculate their launch and impact points, and perform scheduling, data processing and communications requirements.

The operation is semi-automatic and requires highly trained personnel for monitoring, maintenance, prioritization, scheduling, and as a final check of the validity of warnings. Four different computers com- municate with each other from the heart of the system, which relays the information to Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and Missile Defense forward users

Below, CLEAR Phased Array Radar, Alaska

Below, BEALE Air Force Base, California

 Below, BEALE Phased Array Radar at Beale AFB, California

Below, TEXAS Phased Array Radar, Eldorado Air Force Station

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               New Russian Missile Technology with increased Nuclear Deterrent

1962 Cold War, Fylingdales "golf ball" radar domes.

GERMANY

"This could alter the balance of power in Europe," Peskov told reporters at a press conferen- ce on Wednesday. He continued, "And without a doubt it would demand that Russia take necessary countermeasures to restore the strategic balance and parity.

 Ramstein Air Base, Drone Relays

86th Air Lift Wing Ramstein Air Base (Nuclear Ready-made)

Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the German state of Rheinland Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and is al- so a North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO installation. Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern, Germany.

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Spangdahlem U.S. Air Force Base

Spangdahlem is home of the 52d Fighter Wing which maintains, deploys and employs Lockhe- ed Martin Block 50 F-16CJ and Republic A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives. In addition Air Mobility Command supports cargo and passenger traffic as part of its airlift mission.

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  F-16's at Spangdahlem AFB 

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President Bill Clinton/Madeleine Albright at Spangdahlem AFB

President Bill Clinton

Nørvenich Air Base (Nuclear Ready-made)

It was built for the RAF Germany in 1952 and opened in August 1954. The Jagdbombergesch wader 31 or Fighter-Bomber Wing 31 was the first fighterbomber wing with Republic F-84F Thunderstreak   of the United States Air Force using by the German Air Force in 1958 at Nör- venich Air Base. Since June 2010 the squadron flies the Eurofighter Typhoon.

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Buchel Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

 The only air base in Germany today, with nuclear weapons

Büchel Air Base is a military air base of the German Luftwaffe near the city of Cochem and at about 45 miles from Spangdahlem Air Base . It is home to the Tactical Air Force Wing 33 of the German Air Force and the 702 Munition Support Squadron of the United States Air Force.

Since 1985, the TaktLwG 33 operates German Panavi Tornado airplanes, which are capable of delivering the twenty B61-12 nuclear boms. Under the NATO Nuclear Sharing Agreement, these twenty B61 bombs require a dual key system, with the simultaneous authorizations of Germany and the United States, before any action is taken. Since July 2007, the air base is the only location in Germany with nuclear weapons.

According to the press, Eastern European Member States of NATO have resisted the withdraw- al of the shared nuclear bombs from Europe, fearing it would show a weakening of the US commitment to defend Europe against Russia.

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11 Vaults in Protective Aircraft Shelters. Maximum capacity 44 weapons, with a total of 20 B61-12 Nuclear Bombs Authorized

 BELGIUM

The new NATO Headquarter under construction

Belgium hosts the political and military Headquarters of NATO. The political headquarters are located in Brussels. SHAPE, the military headquarter is located in Mons. Near Mons it is served in logistical terms by the airforce base of Chievres, which is run by US forces. Anoth- er support structure is the NATO Satcom installation in Kester.

SHAPE

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED POWERS EUROPE, MONS

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe SHAPE in Mons, Belgium is the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Allied Command Operations. Since 1967 it has been located at Cas- teau, north of the Belgian city of Mons but it had previously been loc- ated from 1953 at Rocquecourt, next to Versailles, France. From 1951 to 2003, SHAPE was the headquarters of Allied Command Europe, ACE. Since 2003 it has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO), controlling all NATO operations worldwide.

SHAPE retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATO's command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO. The commander of Allied Command Operations has also retained the title "Supreme Allied Commander Eur- ope" SACEUR, and continues to be a U.S. four-star general officer or flag officer, who also serves as Commander, U.S. European Command.

The 52nd U.S. Munition Support Squadron

Belgium is also host of US nuclear weapons on the airforce base of Kleine Brogel. This base contains a US MUNSS or Munition Support Squadron as guards and maintenance group for the nuclear weapons. But the base has mostly Belgian military and the F-16 wing tasked with flying nuclear weapons is Belgian as well.

Florenne AFB

Florennes Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located in Florennes, a muni- cipality of Belgium. It is home to the 2nd Tactical Wing, operating F-16 Fighting Falcons. It also used to be the home to the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP), a joint training prog- ram formed by 10  NATO members. On July 31, 2009, TLP moved to Albacete in Spain.

The other airforce base with F-16's is Florennes. In total the Belgian airforce has 72 operati- onal F16's of which 60 have NATO tasks. Through the Control and Reporting Centre in Glons and the Air Traffic Control Centre in Semmerzake the air operations are co-ordinated.

Belgium, Glons - wave of UFO's  

The UFO triangle had been moving slow and low over the rolling hills of Belgium near City of Glons, just southeast of Brussels. When a NATO manned radar station first reported. Below, Triangel UFO photograped near Glons, Belgium.

The Belgian UFO wave began in November 1989. The events of 29 November would be doc- umented by no less than thirty different groups of witnesses, and three separate groups of police officers. All of the reports related a large object flying at low altitude. The craft was of a flat, triangular shape, with lights underneath.

Belgium radar at Glons tracked the UFO's

This giant craft did not make a sound as it slowly moved across the landscape of Belgium. There was free sharing of information as the Belgian populace tracked this craft as it moved from the town of Liege to the border of the Netherlands and Germany. Below, radar image of one of the mnay UFO's over Belgium and and one og many F-16sleft sent up to trace the unidentified flying objects.

The Belgian UFO wave peaked with the events of the night of 30–31 March 1990. On that night, unknown objects were tracked on radar, chased by two Belgian Air Force F16's, phot- ographed, and were sighted by an estimated 13,500 people on the ground – 2,600 of whom filed written statements describing in detail what they had seen. Following the incident, the Belgian air force released a report detailing the events of that night.

Glons Radar Station followed the UFO's

At around 23:00 on 30 March, the supervisor for the Control Reporting Center at Glons- received reports that three unusual lights were seen moving towards Thorembais-Gem- bloux, which lies to the southeast of Brussels. The lights were reported to be brighter than stars, changing color between red, green and yellow, and appeared to be fixed at the vert- ices of an equilateral triangle. At this point, Glons CRC requested the Wavre Gendarmie send a patrol to confirm the sighting.

Approximately 10 minutes later, a second set of lights was sighted moving towards the first triangle. By around 23:30, the Wavre gendarmerie had confirmed the initial sightings and Glons CRC had been able to observe the phenomenon on radar. During this time, the sec- ond set of lights, after some erratic manoeuvres, had also formed themselves into a smaller triangle.

After tracking the targets and after receiving a second radar confirmation from the Traffic Center Control at Semmerzake, Glons CRC gave the order to scramble two F-16 fight- ers from Beauvechain Air Base shortly before midnight. Throughout this time, the pheno- menon was still clearly visible from the ground, with witnesses describing the whole form- ation as maintaining their relative positions while moving slowly across the sky. Witnesses also reported two dimmer lights towards the municipality of Eghezee displaying similar er- ratic movements to the second set of lights.

Belgium, Semmerzake Radar Operating System II

 Kleine Brogel Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

Kleine Brogel hosts 36 F-16 planes of the 10th Wing. These are divided between the 31st Tiger squadron, specialised in air-ground combat in other words, bombardements with 18 planes, and the 349th squadron specialised in air-air combat. The base has 1700 military personnel, of which are 90 pilots.The 52nd Munitions Support Squadron is made up of about 110 members and cares for the B61 nuclear bombs stored in the weapons storage and security system vaults located within hardened aircraft shelters on the base. The vaults at Kleine Brogel reached initial operat- ional capability on April 3, 1993, and 11 vaults are operational today.

F-16 Fighting Falcon from Kleine Brogel Air Base, Belgium

THE NETHERLANDS

Volkel Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

Volkel Air Base is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force and is located near the town of Uden, Noord-Brabant, in the Netherlands. It is home to three F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons, 311, 312 and 313. It also houses a maintenance, logistical, a base Squad- ron for the RNLAF, and also the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron, part of the 52d Fighter Wing from the United States Air Force.

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ITALY

Ghedi Torre Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

The 704th MUNSS is a Geographically Separated Unit responsible for receipt, storage, main- tenance and control of U.S. war reserve weapons committed to NATO's 6th STORMO Italian Wing, PA-200 Tornado Aircraft. The squadron directly supports NATO and its strike mission. 

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F-16 at Ghedi Torre AFB in Operation Deliberate Force

Ghedi Torre Air Base, Italian and US Army in a joint exercise

Aviano NATO Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

Aviano Air Base is a NATO base in northeastern Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.  It is located in the Aviano municipality, at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps,or Southern Carnic Alps about 15 kilometers from Pordenone. The Italian Air Force has ownership and administra- tive control of the base and hosts the U.S. Air Force's 31st Fighter Wing. The 31st FW is the only U.S. fighter wing south of the Alps. 

Aviano Air Base C-17's lined up

This strategic location makes the wing critical to operations in NATO's southern region. The 31st FW maintains two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 555th Fighter Squadron and the 510th Fighter Squadron, allowing the wing to conduct offense and defensive combat air operati- ons. In peacetime, the 31st FW prepares for its combat role by maintaining aircraft and per- sonnel in a high state of readiness. The base is one of six NATO sites in Europe which hold tactical nuclear weapons.

F-117 Night Hawk landing Aviano Air Base

GREECE

Araxos Air Base (Nuclear Ready-made)

Until 2001, U.S.B61 nuclear bombs intended for delivery by Hellenic Air Force A7-H aircraft under NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements were stored in vaults inside the base's hardened aircraft shelters using the WS3 weapons Storage and Security System. The runway length is 3352 m running in a south to north direction. The military installations are acces- sed from Lakkopetra to the north.

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TURKEY

   Balikesir Air Base (Nuclear Ready-Made)

Balıkesir is home to the 9th Air Wing of the 1st Air Force Command of the Turkish Air Force

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Incirlic Air Base Nuclear Bombs Stored

Incirlik Air Base has a U.S. Air Force complement of about five thousand airmen with several hundred airmen from the Royal Air Force and Turkish Air Force also present, as of late 2002. The primary unit stationed at Incirlik Air Base is the 39th Air Base Wing of the U.S. Air Force. Incirlik Air Base has one 3048 m long runway, and 57 hardened aircraft shelters.  The Incirlic Air Base is one of six NATO sites in Europe which hold tactical nuclear weapons 

MR-2 Nimrod at Incirlik Air Base

Incirlic Air Base

Dutch C130H30 Hercules at Incirlic

RQ-1 Predator

Following 2001, the RQ-1 Predator became the primary unmanned aircraft used for offens- ive operations by the USAF and the CIA in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas ; it has also been deployed elsewhere. 

Incirlic Air Base, RQ-1 Predator Drone

Because offensive uses of the Predator are declassified, U.S. military officials have reported an appreciation for the intelligence and reconnaissance-gath ering abilities of UAVs but declined to publicly discuss their offensive use.

Hardened Aicraft Shelters

Hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) or protective aircraft shelter (PAS) is a reinforced to house and protect military aircraft from enemy attack. Cost considerations and building practicali- ties limit their use to fighter size aircraft. NATO hangars will still remain useful against the forces of any enemy as might conceivably engage Europe in an armed conflict in the short term whose capabilities generally lack precision guidance systems needed to defeat the def- ensive shield such hangars offer.

Nuclear Storage Bunkers and Hardened Aicraft Shelters

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European Countries that host US nuclear weapons

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           Russia to aim Nuclear Weapons at NATO and US as response to European              "Defencive Missile Shield"

A total of 40 B61-12 Nucear bombs in a not identified Weapons Storage Vault