NATO Exercise Steadfast Noon Begins in the Face of Russian Nuclear Sabre-Rattling

According to AP,NATO will launch its annual nuclear drills on 14 OCT 2024 and they will last about two weeks.The exercise has been held in October or November each year for the last ten years.Boeing nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress Strategic Bombers along with other Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) are participating this year:Panavia Tornado;Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter;and F-15E Strike Eagle.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the drills,saying:In an uncertain world,it is vital that we test our defence so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and is able to respond to any threat.*France will not participate as it is not a part of the NATO Nuclear Planning Group.*NATO members belonging to the U.S. nuclear-sharing programme are:Belgium,Germany,Italy,Netherlands and Turkey.These have facilities for storing the Boeing B61-12 tactical nuclear weapon in underground vaults inside an aircraft shelter.According to commercial documents,Great Britain is looking to rejoin the nuclear-sharing programme with the development of the needed facilities at RAF Lakenheath,England in light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.The U.S. Air Force 701st Nuclear Support Squadron looks after the B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons.*The Neatherlands stores approximately 15 B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons in underground vaults inside an aircraft shelter at Vokel Air Base;while Belgium stores 22 B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons in underground vaults inside an aircraft shelter at Kleine Brogel Air Base.U.S. Air Force Security Forces provide security for the nuclear sites.*Despite Russian threats,NATO has seen no change in Russia's nuclear posture.Rutte said that giving into any threat:would set a precedant that using military force allows a country to get what it wants,and we cannot do that.*Angus Lapley,NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy said the drills are aimed at proving the Alliance has the ability to counter any threat against its 32 member nations,is credible and that:any adversary would need to take extremely seriously indeed.*Lapley said that:Moscow is introducing lots of novel systems and putting more emphasis on investment in short and intermediate range weapons systems.It has recently been talking an awful lot about nuclear doctrine and how that may or may not be evolving...a pretty clear attempt to influence us.*The major manoeuvres will take place over the UK;the North Sea off the Scottish coast;Belgium and the Netherlands.*The nuclear-sharing programme is a dual key arrangement,meaning nothing can be done without the consent of both the U.S. and the host nation.*The drills will involve every step in the U.S. nuclear-sharing prgramme:retrieving a simulated weapon from the underground storage vault;transporting it to the surface on an elevator;and mounting it on or in a Dual Capable Aircraft.*Daniel Bunch,Chief of Nuclear Operations at NATO Headquarters in Brussels,said while the drills will involve several types of military aircraft,a lot of it goes on behind the scenes:Under Staedfast Noon,we seek to stress the overall system,put people in tough positions,high operations tempos.The challenge of coordinating things:literally down to the minute when we would put a weapon onto the target is a very complex activity.*Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT)

LIVE US AIR FORCE F-15 & F-35 ACTION 48TH FIGHTER WING • RAF LAKENHEATH ENGLAND 21.06.24 - YouTube

The aircraft are the nuclear-capable U.S. Air Force 48th Fighter Wing Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle fighter.The base's nuclear storage mission ws terminated in 2008 in the belief that the Cold War was over.Yet the first Russian invasion of Ukraine with little green men in 2014 and the second full-on war against Ukraine launched in February 2022 has caused NATO to revive the nuclear storage mission.Documents show a large underground surety dormitory for storing the Boeing B61-12 nuclear bomb is under construction,along with ballistic-sheathed shelters for Air Force Security Forces.*Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT)*The B61-12 has an adjustable range of missions,from tactical nuclear to thermonuclear kilotonnes.*The UK will neither confirm nor deny the project.

Deterrence and Defence:F-35As Fully Certified to Carry Out Nuclear Mission

According to Air Force Magazine,the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is now fully certified to carry out nuclear strike missions with the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb.The B61-12 has a variable yield ranging from tactical nuclear strike at 0.3 kilotonnes to strategic nuclear strike at 50 kilotonnes,which is several times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.Included on the B61-12 are a satellite and inertial navigation module,as well as a tail section enabling flight precision.Certification is a two-step process:nuclear design certification and operational certification.The nuclear design certification was completed on 4 October 2021,after completing the first full weapon certification and nuclear design certification.The aim is to ascertain whether the weapon can be credibly delivered.To find that out,two F-35As dropped Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs),or mockups of the B61-12,at the Tonopah Test Range,Nevada.The first operational certification was completed on 12 October 2023.Said Air Combat Command Deputy Director for Strategic Deterrence LTCOL Douglas A. Kabel:It makes our potential adversaries think more about their game plan before enacting it.It can get closer to (referring to the F-35A stealth fighter),further inside,a combat area that may otherwise be impossible for non-stealth assets.*The F-35A is the first stealth fighter to be certified for the nuclear mission.*The operational certification involves training and certification of maintenance and air crews at Wing locations where the F-35A nuclear mission is based.Approval means that the US or NATO Allies have a fighter that can strike targets with tactical nuclear weapons inside hostile territory without being detected.*The B61-12 can also be carried by B-2 Spirit strategic bombers;F-15E Strike Eagle fighters;F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon fighters;and Pannavia Tornado multirole fighters of Germany and Italy.Both Germany and Italy are transitioning to F-35As.F-35As have two special switches to enable the nuclear mission:a nuclear consent switch in the cockpit;and a mission select switch in the F-35A internal weapon bay,which can carry two B61-12s.Now that the F-35A has been fully certified,the aircraft is a Dual-Capable Aircraft (DCA) eligible for both NATO conventional and nuclear strike missions.The nuclear strike capability is overseen by the NATO Nuclear Committee as part of the nuclear sharing programme,which is a dual key arrangement regarding the B61-12 agreed by the US and NATO Allies Belgium,Germany,the Netherlands,Turkey,which have nuclear bomb storage on their air bases,and soon to be the UK once again at RAF Lakenheath,England,once the operational certification is obtained-operational certification is an air base by air base process.The bombs were removed from RAF Lakenheath in 2008 as the Cold War was deemed over.Ironically,Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia that same year,seizing the regions of Ingushetia and South Ossetia by force.Reportedly projects are underway to create a surety dormitory,or B61-12 storage facility,and a ballistic-sheathed facility for Air Force Security Forces.The surety dormitory is slated for completion by February 2026,according to public records.Two US Air Force F-35A squadrons are forward deployed to RAF Lakenheath and would be eligible to carry out the nuclear mission,pending operational certification.*As a matter of policy,air bases will neither confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons.Only the F-35A varient of the Lightning II has been certified for the nuclear mission at this point.*Lockheed Martin (LMT)

Cold War 2:US to Return Nukes to UK Air Base - plus what the Baltic States are implementing

According to research conducted by BBC News and the British news outlet The Telegraph,the US will soon be restarting its nuclear mission at RAF Lakenheath,England.The original mission was terminated in 2008 when Cold War tensions seemed to be easing.Ironically,that same year Russia invaded and occupied two Republic of Georgia territories,South Ossetia and Ingushetia,where it maintains a military presence to this day.In 2014,Russia-backed militants took over two Ukrainian Oblasts,Luhansk and Donetsk.On 30 September 2022,following its brutal invasion of Ukraine that February,Russia annexed these areas,and also annexed two cities,Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.There are no formal boundaries to these annexations.Russia had previously annexed Crimea,Ukraine on 18 March 2014.*The return of B61 thermonuclear bombs to RAF Lakenheath is reportedly imminent.Today,the West is gripped with the prospect that Russia and Belarus may lash out at NATO.There is uncertainty about Russia's and Belarus' intentions,and anxiety about the unpredictability of these adversaries.NATO is consequently processing an upgrade of its nuclear deterrent forces,which are currently assigned to air bases in Belgium,Germany,Italy,the Netherlands and Turkiye.This programme involves the US nuclear sharing programme that is a dual key arrangement,with both the US and the host NATO Ally having to sign off on nuclear missions.The latest version of the B61 is the B61-12.It is calibrated to a wide range of kilotonnages,up to a level amounting to several Hiroshima blasts,but also has many levels far below that blast magnitude.The documents obtained by the BBC include several contracts for facility construction at Lakenheath,including troop shelters needed for the imminent nuclear mission.A guardhouse for US Air Force Security Forces is to have ballisitic shielding.Other contracts awarded are for a Surety Dormitory,or nuclear weapons bunker,and hardened ballistic security shelters with bulletproof glass that can stop a .30 caliber projectile.Predictably,there have been anti-nuclear protests just outside Lakenheath.*The nuclear mission has been assigned to two squadrons of US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters deployed to Lakenheath as part of the 48th Fighter Wing.The F-35As were flight tested with the B61-12.The mission involves training for,and,if necessary,executing the nuclear mission.*Both the US and the UK declined to confirm or deny whether there are nuclear weapons at Lakenheath.*Meanwhile,the Baltic States are fortifying their borders with Russia and Belarus as a first line of defence.For its part,Estonia is building a massive complex of 600 bunkers along its border with Russia,each bunker to house up to six troops.Russia says it will respond to Finland's hardening of its border with Russia,as well as to the renuclearisation of RAF Lakenheath.Most recently,some NATO leaders have expressed concern about the security of the rear areas of NATO,such as those deep inside Germany,whose Bundeswehr is the second largest military in NATO.These need to be better protected as well,not just the Eastern Flank.

Thule Air Base:NATO's Arctic Nerve Centre - plus what the US intends to do there

According to the US Air Force,Thule Air Base,Greenland,is a combined US-Canadian-Danish and Greenlandic environment of about 550 military,civilian and contractor personnel.It is supported by the US Air Force Space Command's 821st Air Base Group,which enables force projection,space superiority,and scientific research in the Arctic Region for the US and its allies through integrated base support and defence operations.The 821st operates and maintains TAB in support of its missile warning and satellite command and control operations missions.The base's missions are executed by the 12th Space Warning Squadron and Detachment 1,23rd Space Operations Squadron.*
TAB provides a 10,000 foot runway that handles more than 3,000 US and international flights annually,as well as the world's northernmost deep water port,served by the Air Force's only tugboat and a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.*
The 12th Space Warning Squadron operates the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System for NORAD.It detects and tracks ICBMs launched against North America.Detachment 1 is part of the 50th Space Wing's global satellite control network.*
Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle,above the aurora borealis,TAB hosts the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors,thus providing missile warning,space surveillance and space control to NORAD and Air Force Space Command.It is a critical node of space situational awareness.For its part,Detachment 1 links ground stations and their satellites.
Among TAB's tenants are scientific organisations such as the National Science Foundation;NASA;the Smithsonian Institution;the Danish Technological Institute;the Danish Meteorological Institute;and the Arctic Institute.Their research topics include wildlife migration;climate change;and astrophysics.*
On 16 September 2018,USDP (Undersecretary of Defense for Policy) John Rood signed a Statement of Intent on Defense Investments in Greenland while on a visit to TAB:
This Statement of Intent lays out principles for investing in Greenland to enhance US military operational flexibility and situational awareness in order to address the changing security environment in the Arctic.In light of this development and in an effort to strengthen US and NATO capabilities,the US Department of Defense intends to pursue potential strategic investment vigorously,including investments that may serve dual military and civilian purposes.For example,the US Department of Defense intends to analyze and,where appropriate,strategically invest in projects related to the airport infrastructure in Greenland,including projects that may have dual civilian and military benefits.These investments would seek to enhance US and NATO capabilities in the North Atlantic region and would benefit the United States,the Kingdom of Denmark,and the people of Greenland.*
TAB is also critical for the support of Canada's remote Arctic outposts,Canadian Forces Station Alert,which is reportedly a SIGINT collection platform,and Eureka Research Station.Cargo for the brutal winter months is delivered to the stations from TAB in the biannual Operation Boxtop,involving an intensive flight schedule for Canadian transport aircraft and US Air Force air traffic controllers.*
Another recent mission at TAB involved Danish F-16 aircraft flights as part of ascertaining capability for search and rescue missions over Greenland and defining logistical requirements for potential future F-16 operations.*
Air Force Security Forces execute battle drills at TAB,thus tailoring training to a hands-on and mission-specific approach.

Deterring and Assuring:Air Force Global Strike Command's Mission and Perspective

This blog has reviewed the 2014 Air Force Global Strike Command Strategic Master Plan,which is currently in force.AFGSC is headed by Lieutenant General Stephen W. Wilson,Commander.The AFGSC is entrusted with the nation's most powerful weapons,LTGEN Wilson points out.Its Airmen see things globally,their focus inherently global and strategic.They provide the nation effective deterrence and,when called upon,rapid global strike.
AFGSC is a warfighting component,a MAJCOM of US Strategic Command that executes assigned deterrence,assurance and global strike missions.It organises,trains and equips both conventional and nuclear combat forces for the President and Combatant Commanders.ICBM forces are deployed in a nuclear deterrent role,and AFGSC bombers plan and execute deterrence and Global Power/Strike operations to provide USSTRATCOM with a viable deterrent capability.*
The strategic environment continues to present a very dynamic and uncertain picture and the number of state and non-state actors that can produce strategic effects across the spectrum of conflict is growing in both quantity and complexity.In current and future conflicts,AFGSC forces are required to survive and operate in threat environments ranging from low threat/permissive to highly contested Anti-access/Area Denial environments,according to the US Air Force Posture Statement 2013.
The Air Force's nuclear deterrent and conventional precision strike forces can credibly deny adversary objectives or impose unacceptable costs by effectively holding any target on the planet at risk and,if necessary,disabling or destroying targets promptly,even from bases in the continental United States.
AFGSC has at its disposal two numbered Air Forces,the Eighth and the Twentieth,and five Air Force Bases.Over 25,000 personnel operate,maintain and support its 450 ICBMs;24 UH-1N Air Force Security Forces helicopters;and 96 long range,nuclear-capable bombers.AFGSC B-52H bombers have been deployed to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve and NATO exercises,while its B-1B bombers have participated in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL.*
The era in which the US can project global military power virtually uncontested will likely end by 2030,if not before,the Strategic Master Plan projects.The potential state and non-state actors that can threaten the US and its allies across the spectrum of conflict are growing in number and increasing in complexity.This requires a greater effort by the US to work with key allies and partners to maintain peace and stability around the globe.
Nations with Weapons of Mass Destruction and advanced conventional capabilities will continue to be potential strategic threats.Foreign intelligence and security services will continue efforts to gather information on US capabilities through HUMINT,SIGINT and imagery intelligence to replicate or mitigate US military advantages.Violent and extremist terrorist groups will continue to develop indirect means to strike the US through recruitment and subversion of dissidents or through covert insertion.They will continue to pursue their goal of acquiring nuclear weapons or other WMD,the Strategic Master Plan predicts.*
The Strategic Master Plan goes on to outline in detail a number of priorities that must be met to ensure that the mission of AFGSC will be accomplished,such as the modernisation and replacement of major weapons systems and aircraft.

Air Force Security Forces Flunk Nuke Test-corrective action taken

It has recently come to light that last August,US Air Force Security Forces at Malmstrom Air Force Base,Montana,flunked a test of their ability to quickly regain control of a missile silo captured by the enemy.This fault resulted in the base flunking its entire safety and security inspection.According to an internal review obtained by the Associated Press,the forces failed to take all lawful actions to immediately regain control of nuclear weapons.
At the time,the Air Force said tactical level errors were committed in one phase of the inspection,without elaborating.The unit received a rating of "unsatisfactory." The review cited insufficient training resulting in a lack of familiarity with complex scenario exercises;unspecified shortcomings in leadership culture;and a lack of standardized simulations throughout the nuclear missile forces.The failure reportedly involved missing the mark by a matter of seconds.
Lieutenant General Jim Kowalski,who was at the time Commander,Global Strike Command,which oversees the nuclear missile and strategic bomber forces,denied that the incident means the safety of the nuclear missile arsenal is at risk,since the inspections are designed to be tough.The unit fumbled in this exercise.
The unit was tested again a few months later and passed.Nearly all the corrective actions proposed by the review have been accomplished,according to GSC.*
Malmstrom AFB is one of three Minuteman III bases,each housing 150 of the ICBMs.The other two bases are in North Dakota and Wyoming.Malmstrom defines its mission as being to defend America with safe,secure and effective nuclear forces and combat ready Airmen.The 341st Security Forces Group,including the Tactical Response Force,are critical to this effort.
In the Nuclear Advanced Designated Marksman program,members of the TRF are trained at Camp Guernsey,Wyoming for six weeks.They become adept at observing enemy forces unseen and engaging them when appropriate.They are trained in weapons accuracy,camouflage and the ability to sustain themselves in the field.
A few times a month,the TRF trains with the base's Huey UH-1N helicopters.They practice infiltration and exfiltration in order to achieve instant response capability anywhere on the base,to reassert control of captured convoys and launch sites.
The 341st Security Forces Group generally is entrusted with securing roads to and from launch sites on which nuclear weapons are transported;weapons storage facilities;launch control centers;and controlling access to Malmstrom AFB.*
LT GEN Kowalski is now Deputy Commander,US Strategic Command,of which Global Strike Command is a part.