Breaking: Germany's Dreaded Fighter Jets Deployed for Nuclear Warfare Drill

NATO plans to showcase its power against Russia in a nuclear exercise.

The German Air Force has also announced that in the coming days, it will participate in the NATO exercise with several fighter jets to defend the alliance's territory with nuclear weapons.

The spokesman of the German Air Force told Ambassador Arjan: 3 Tornado jets from the 33rd Tactical Air Wing will be stationed at the Aviano Air Base in Northern Italy for this exercise with the code name "Stable Noon".

These aircraft are usually based at Buchel Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate.

According to unconfirmed reports, US nuclear weapons are stored there where, in a crisis, they can be delivered by German fighter-bombers under the NATO Nuclear Sharing Agreement. Other known locations for US nuclear weapons storage in Europe include bases in countries such as Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

NATO did not provide any details about the nuclear drill, which begins on Tuesday, until the last minute.

The coalition's headquarters simply announced that its scale was comparable to last year's exercise. At the time, NATO reported that approximately 2,000 military personnel and more than 70 aircraft were involved. These planes included advanced F-35 fighters as well as surveillance and refueling planes.

The scenario of this exercise is also confidential. The exercises, held regularly in October, include training on how to safely transfer weapons from underground storage to aircraft and install them under fighter jets, military experts said. However, according to these experts, only practice bombs without real nuclear warheads are used in these drills and attack exercises.

Naseema Burrows, the head of NATO's nuclear policy, said late last week about the upcoming "Zhor Stewar" exercise that the purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate NATO's readiness to defend the alliance's territory if necessary and have the necessary capabilities. However, he stressed that no actual nuclear weapons would be used in the exercise.

Col. David Ball, head of nuclear operations in the coalition, also explained that the main goal is to train all participants to work together to maintain a safe, credible and reliable nuclear deterrent.

According to NATO, this exercise has nothing to do with current world events and is not against any specific country. However, the alliance has focused its threat analysis primarily on Russia for years.

At the end of last month, Moscow was again accused by NATO of displaying nuclear power. Russia had previously threatened to use its entire military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, in response to NATO maneuvers and what it perceived as the imminent isolation of Kaliningrad.

At first, there was no reaction from the Russian side to the announcement of these maneuvers. Last year, Moscow began a large-scale exercise of its strategic nuclear forces at the same time as NATO's nuclear exercise. Kremlin President Vladimir Putin insisted at the time that it was a planned military exercise.

Aside from the annual nuclear weapons drills, NATO has been working on plans to expand its nuclear deterrent in Europe for some time in light of Russian threats. According to Ambassador Arjan's research, the deployment of more US nuclear weapons is also one of the options.

The Bulletin's expert group scientists even raise the possibility that the United States has already deployed B61-12 bombs at Lakenheath Air Base in the UK. According to these experts, if the security situation worsens, countries such as Poland, Finland, and Lithuania can also be considered as potential deployment locations.

Following the massive nuclear disarmament process that followed the end of the Cold War, nuclear experts estimate that only about 100 American B61-12 bombs are currently stored at air bases in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

In July, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte did not rule out the possibility of the United States deploying more nuclear weapons in Europe in the future. However, he declined to comment on the details of the ongoing negotiations, citing security concerns.

He explained that the alliance is constantly reviewing its capabilities and determining the necessary composition for its nuclear deterrent. "Wherever we need to make adjustments, we will," Rutte said.