Bild: Germany and NATO are secretly preparing for nuclear war
The German air force is training with NATO partners to defend the territory of the military bloc with nuclear weapons. According to the German newspaper “Bild”, this week in Germany began a secret exercise of members of the alliance Steadfast Noon (“Stalwart Zenith”).
Fighter-bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons participate in the maneuvers, and the main goal of the exercises, according to Bild, is to work out the defense of the FRG by using atomic bombs.
This year, the site of the exercise was the Nørvenich airbase in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is considered a possible alternative location for the US tactical nuclear weapons of the B61 type, which, according to unconfirmed reports, are stored in Büchel in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
At the same time, a Resilient Guard exercise is taking place in Büchel. According to the Bundeswehr, the Air Force is training the defense of the airbase located there from attack, and is also practicing the use of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system on difficult terrain.
The publication notes that the B61 hydrogen bombs stationed in Büchel could potentially be used by German Tornadoes as part of NATO’s “nuclear participation”. Additional US nuclear weapons are stored in Italy, Belgium, Turkey and the Netherlands. Dutch, Belgian and Italian fighters are involved in these military exercises.
The article expresses the opinion that the risk of a nuclear war is now much higher than in the past three decades. The authors believe that the main reason for this is the US withdrawal from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate and Short-Range Missiles (INF Treaty).
At the beginning of last year, Washington announced a unilateral withdrawal from the INF Treaty, accusing Russia of violations of this agreement. Moscow denies all charges as unfounded. In early July 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to suspend the agreement. Russia has repeatedly stated that it fully complies with the Treaty on the Elimination of Missiles.
The INF Treaty prohibited the parties from possessing nuclear and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles with a ground range of 500 to 5.5 thousand kilometers.
