And, suddenly, Washington left slightly from the rhetoric that had prevailed in the last months in his conversations with Moscow. Trump raised the tone giving Putin a really short maximum period, 10 to 12 days, to agree on a High fire in Ukraine or “face more severe sanctions.” We would say that few people interpreted the message beyond an economic issue.
However, the facts also speak of a nuclear movement.
Satiety. Yes, Trump It hardened his position in front of Moscow by drastically shortening the deadline granted to Putin to agree on that alleged fire in Ukraine: of the 50 days initially announced to only 10 or 12, warning that, if an agreement is not reached, it will impose more harsh secondary sanctions that will hit Russia and the countries that buy their oil.
From his resort in Scotland and together with the British prime minister Keir Starmer, the US president was “very disappointed” with Putin, ensuring that he no longer trusts his conversations, because as long as they speak “people die in missile attacks.” The turn reflects an evolution in your speech, more favorable to Zelenski From his encounter at the NATO Summit, and responds to the intensification of the Russian offensive in the Eastern Front and the increase in drone swarming attacks. But there is much more.
Kilotones Actually, it is a confirmation of What we count Last week after the appearance of a military emblem that left little doubt. Now it has been Bloomberg The one that has put name and capabilities to action. We talk about the reappearance of nuclear weapons in the United States in British soilfor the first time Since 2008in an unequivocal gesture to Moscow in full climb of tensions.
The episode was known thanks to a flight recorded on July 16, when A C-17 plane of the American Air Force, belonging to the Nuclear Prime Airlift Force (Specialized unit in the transport of nuclear weapons), moved from the base of Kirtland in New Mexico to Lakenheath, in eastern England. The remarkable thing is that he did it with The transpondent onallowing their route to be publicly observed, which Analysts interpret as A direct message Putin that Washington not only maintains its commitment to European security, but is willing to reinforce it visibly.
Not even. Both the Pentagon and the British Ministry of Defense maintain the traditional policy of Do not confirm or deny The presence of these weapons, but the accumulated evidence, together with Budget documents that detail nuclear safety works in Lakenheath, it indicates that it is a very real transfer of Ojivas B61-12the latest generation of American thermonuclear bombs.
Transport of a b61-12 pump
The importance of B61-12. It We have counted These months. The armament in question, The B61-12it is a modernized free fall pump model with a variable load that goes from 0.3 to 50 kilotons and incorporates precision guidance systems, which makes it more flexible compared to previous versions. This adaptability allows us to use it both against specific military and urban areas, giving it an added strategic value.
His deployment in the United Kingdom also reintroduces a nuclear mission for the Royal Air Force that had disappeared After the cold warwhen London withdrew their own nuclear aviation weapons. The British Ministry of Defense had already advanced that it will acquire at least twelve f-35a fighters, Specifically designed to carry this type of pumps, which places the RAF again in the center of NATO nuclear deterrence.
Tighten the button. With Lakenheath They already add seven bases distributed in Six European countries that house American tactical nuclear weapons under the supreme command of Washington, since the use of these weapons, even deployed in allied territory, always requires the direct authorization of the president of the United States.
Impact on NATO nuclear strategy. What doubt fits, the Nuclear Weapons Return British soil is not a simple symbolic gesture, but a sign that the Atlantic Alliance is adjusting its deterrent to respond to tactical nuclear imbalance With Russiawhich has a wide arsenal of short -range weapons. The introduction of the B61-12 offers NATO greater operational flexibility, expanding the response options and partially compensating for the Russian advantage in the European theater.
Analysts as Sidharth Kaoushal They emphasize that this modernization constitutes a way of limiting the effects of Russian superiority on non -strategic nuclear armament, while experts as Hans Kristensen They insist that the movement confirms the real deployment of this new type of weapons in Europe, a step with deep consequences in the dynamics of deterrence.
The political context. Plus: The transfer of these bombs coincides with a Turrous turn in Trump’s policy towards Putin. The US president, after weeks of friction, has approved New deliveries from Patriot missiles to Ukraine, presses Moscow with the threat of secondary sanctions and has unilaterally shortened the deadline for Russia to accept the fire.
In this context, maintaining the lighting of the lighting flight acquires a sense of clear warning: The United States is not only withdrawing forces from Europe, but increases its nuclear response capacity in the region. In this way, Washington seeks to reaffirm both before Russia and before European allies that their commitment to nuclear deterrence is still firm and visible.
Strategic implications. It is the last of the legs to analyze. The reintroduction of American nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom after more than a decade of absence it cannot be interpreted as an isolated event, but as part of a remodeling of European security architecture. It means returning to London a central role in NATO’s nuclear mission, reactivating the Air nuclear capacity of the RAF and increase the range of military options of the alliance against the growing Russian threat.
The brand movement A substantial reinforcement of the transatlantic link in the field of nuclear defense and, at the same time, sends a warning calculated to Moscow: any perception of nuclear advantage In Europe it will be answered with new deployments and with a reaffirmation of the central role of the United States in the safety of the continent.
In a scenario in which The dronesprecision artillery and The electronic war Copy the headlines of the Front in Ukraine, the return of these pumps remembers that the nuclear dimension remains the last and disturbing Pilar on which the safety of many powers is balancing.
Image | Defense
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