“The source of the threat is primarily Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea, where there are also nuclear ballistic missiles and which is linked to Putin's expansionist goals and the war in Ukraine.” There is enough to keep us in the middle of the cold climate “To declare war and to demand the return of American nuclear weapons to Great Britain.” Andrea MargellettiPresident of the Center for International Studies, a major expert in military geostrategy, “reads” the news of the return of American nuclear warheads to the United Kingdom, after they were returned to the United States fifteen years ago, as a necessary response “given the increase in tensions and the risks of conflict in the Euro-Mediterranean scenario, an inevitable decision given the context.”
How does deterrence work and what does it entail?
“As this is the British RAF base at Lakenheath, we must first assume that the relocation is part of a bilateral agreement between the United States and Great Britain, so not directly from NATO.” The bomb will be American and the Carrier, the aircraft, English. Presumably, in the future, the F-35 A, qualified as a DCA (Double Capability Aircraft) and equipped with a range of instruments suitable for carrying nuclear bombs, will be the recipients of the new ammunition.”
But how does this work in the NATO system?
“Within NATO there is a Nuclear Sharing Group, which includes various nations, including Italy, in which the double key concept is used.” That is, on a bilateral basis, the European nation places the plane and the United States places the bomb. Apparently in this case within a NATO chain of command, not an American one. Under this agreement, there is a network of clearly defined airports, each with a limited number of hangars in which the aircraft are located. The bombs are stored in American custody in a warehouse a few kilometers from the airport. In the event of a surge in tension, they will be taken to the airport and stored in special racks under the hangars.”
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What happens in the event of a nuclear war?
“The plane is ready in the hangar with the flight plan, the bombs go up via special “elevators” and are hooked into the plane that begins its mission. In practice, all that remains is to reactivate existing structures: depots and hangars.
What changes with the Anglo-American decision?
“During the Cold War there were several airports equipped in this way, but as the international situation changed, many ceased their “nuclear” function and it was now considered that the danger was negligible. In view of the war in Ukraine and its consequences, the Americans prefer to have more capacity to fall back on, and the same applies to the British. Obviously, not all airports have retained this potential. Lakenheath yes. There are others in Belgium and Germany.”
And we? In the past, for example, there has been talk of nuclear weapons at the Ghedi and Aviano bases, as can be seen in yesterday's map in the Daily Telegraph…
“If there are nuclear bombs in Ghedi, as can be seen from a photo taken several years ago of Americans lined up in front of a B-61 nuclear warhead, they have the NATO label. In Aviano, however, everything is American. There were tornadoes in Ghedi, but even in this case one can imagine that the F-35s will arrive. For the same reason, I believe, the Germans also purchased the F-35 DCA, with the costs of nuclear integration borne by the Americans.”
What could be the use of nuclear weapons, obviously defensive?
“The hot scenario is that of central-northern Europe on the Ukraine-Kaliningrad axis, which is why the northern front is being strengthened, while Ghedi and Aviano cover the central-south front of Europe.” There are Russian submarines in the Mediterranean with presumably nuclear launchers ballistic missiles, but the nuclear missiles obviously would not be used against the submarines.
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The messenger