Nuclear Alert, Shadows of September1939
By James Hall
Is Europe destined to mobilize for war again?
The “United Kingdom Defense Journal” reports that US tactical nuclear weapons have returned to British soil. This July, an undisclosed number of B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs were delivered to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. (RAF Lakenheath primarily serves as the United States Air Force’s largest fighter base in Europe, hosting the 48th Fighter Wing.)
Conceived after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the original B61 gravity bomb was designed to be carried by fast, low-flying fighters or bombers, providing the President with more flexible options in the event of a nuclear engagement.
The B61-12 variant introduces a variable “dial-a-yield” capability ranging from 0.3 to 50 kilotons. A future planned version, the B61-13, is expected to offer an upgraded maximum yield of 360 kilotons. All B61s can be carried by the F16s and F35s stationed in Europe. (My dad and I curated an early version of the B61 when he served as Director of the Smithsonian National Atomic Testing Museum.)
These B61-12 weapons were flown for delivery from the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to a newly constructed secure storage facility at Lakenheath. Construction on that site had been underway for some time, and last November’s mysterious drone sightings over the base only heightened concerns.
Meanwhile, Russia has been maneuvering its Yars road-mobile nuclear missile launchers under cover of darkness—a move coinciding with the return of US nuclear weapons to Europe. Meanwhile, Russia has been maneuvering its Yars road-mobile nuclear missile launchers under cover of darkness—a move coinciding with the return of US nuclear weapons to Europe. (Each RS-24 Yars road-mobile ICBM carries three to four MIRV warheads, each with an estimated yield of 150–200 kilotons.) RAF Lakenheath previously hosted US nuclear arms during the Cold War; the last known removal occurred in 2008 amid broader disarmament reductions across Europe. That has now changed! RAF Lakenheath previously hosted US nuclear arms during the Cold War; the last known removal occurred in 2008 amid broader disarmament reductions across Europe. That has now changed!
Russia and Ukraine have been attacking each other for weeks with unprecedented numbers of drones and missiles, just as Europe has become more supportive of deep strikes by Ukraine onto Russian territory. In approximately 43 days, severe secondary tariffs on Russia may come into effect, just as President Vladimir Putin travels to China to sign an updated, more binding mutual-defense treaty—an agreement gradually built on over the past two years. That timing will closely align with the eightieth anniversary of the start of World War II and the 111th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I in August 1914. Will this become a perfect brewing storm?
“When will humankind stop walking into the face of Armageddon?”
For a detailed exploration of the B61’s history, see “The Sword of Damocles, Our Nuclear Age” by Michael and James Hall, now available on Audible.