Preparing For Nuclear War Against Russia (Daniel 7)

US Vs Russia Nuclear War: Tensions Ripe Over Germany, Norway Borders

BY ATHENA YENKO ON EMAIL @MORNINGNEWSUSA
PUBLISHED: 1:19 PM, SEP 24, 2015 UPDATED: 1:19 PM, SEP 24, 2015

Russia threatens counter nuclear measures if U.S. goes ahead with its plan of stationing nuclear weapons in Germany. Moscow viewed the move as provocation and disruption of the supposed security balance in Europe. Spokesman for Russian Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, described Pentagon plan of deploying new nuclear weapons in Germany “a very serious step towards exacerbating tensions on the European continent.”

“Unfortunately, if this step is implemented — and we can say they are confidently advancing towards its implementation, it may disrupt the strategic balance in Europe and therefore will clearly make Russia take corresponding countermeasures to re-establish the balance,” Peskov said in a press briefing as reported by TASS. “It’s not a step towards strengthening stability, towards confidence building and enhancement of security in Europe,” he added. The counter measures to be taken by Russia will assure “national security and re-establishment of the strategic balance,” the official said.
According to a separate report from The Telegraph, Russia’s threat was made after Germany’s television broadcaster, ZDF, reported that U.S. has plans of replacing B61 bombs with the more advanced B61-12s. The latter can be fired as missiles unlike with the old variant which are dropped from aircraft. Russia’s biggest concern is that these advance versions are more of tactical than strategic in nature.

Tactical nuclear weapons are designed to be based on a battlefield in military situations. Many of the weapons during the Cold War era are tactical in nature. Strategic nuclear weapons, on the other hand, are designed to be use as a part of an overall military strategy aimed at weakening an enemy’s ability to attack.

An unnamed military source said that Moscow is now in the process of investigating whether such U.S. weapons deployed in Germany are tactical in nature. “The question is being considered. A final decision will be taken after detailed analysis of the potential threat from German Tornado fighter-bombers carrying new B-61-12 atomic bombs,” the source was quoted as saying by The Telegraph, citing Interfax, a Russian news website.

A related report from the Express said that Russia is also concern that U.S. is a NATO member. “These states actually have nuclear weapons as part of the framework of NATO’s nuclear sharing program,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, was quoted as saying.
Peskov has also expressed Russia’s concern over NATO’s advancement toward the Russian borders. Russia too threatens counter-measure if the West alliance proceed with its military activities near its borders.

“We must not forget that NATO is an organization that has been created during the time of confrontation and for confrontation, that’s why it cannot change its nature. That is why any advancement by such an organization toward our borders will force us to take adequate counter-measures to safeguard own security, our national security,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Sputnik International.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Norwegian Defense Minister, Ine Eriksen Søreide, reaffirmed the defense relationship between the two nations. Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook, the two leaders fortified the very close working relationship that the United States and Norway share within NATO. The two discussed increasing security challenges along NATO’s northern flank.

Russia Ups The Nuclear Ante (Daniel 7)

  
Russia to counteract deployment of new U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany

3:05 September 23, 2015 Interfax

Russia will counteract U.S. plans to deploy new tactical nuclear bombs in Germany, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said.

“This may upset the strategic balance in Europe. Hence, Russia will naturally have to take countermoves, countermeasures for restoring this strategic balance and parity,” Peskov said on Sept.23.

“Indeed, this is not a step towards bolstering stability, confidence and security in Europe,” he said.
“This is definitely another step, unfortunately a very serious one, towards the escalation of tensions on the European continent,” Peskov said.

Considering the decision of the German parliament, the United States “is making steady progress” in the deployment of new types of nuclear weapons, the presidential press secretary said.

As to what countermeasures Russia may take, Peskov said, “these are the steps required for the provision of the national security of the Russian Federation and strategic parity in Europe.”

The Deutsche Welle radio said on Sept.22 with reference to the German channel ZDF that the United States was about to start the deployment of a new type of nuclear weapons at the German Armed Forces’ Buchel airbase in the Rheinland-Pfalz land. The television channel supported its claim with U.S. budget plans envisaging the possibility of arming German Tornado attack aircraft with new nuclear bombs B61-12 already in the third quarter of 2015.

Experts told ZDF that tactical nuclear bombs B61-12 were much more precise than the bombs the airbase had at its disposal earlier.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Sept.22 that Moscow was concerned about the pending modernization of U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany.

Russia Ups The Nuclear Ante (Daniel 7)

Russia Sends Nuclear-Capable Bombers to Crimea

Nolan Peterson / @nolanwpeterson / March 20, 2015

A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear strategic bomber during a training flight, in Ryazan region, Russion on November 16, 2012. (Photo by Alexander Ryumin/Itar-Tass/ABACAPRESS.COM)

KYIV, Ukraine—As NATO and Russia simultaneously launch military exercises stretching from Eastern Europe into the Arctic, Russian defense officials said this week that supersonic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons will be deployed to Crimea.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, Tupolev TU-22M3 strategic bombers will be positioned in the former Ukrainian territory as part of a snap military exercise involving Russia’s Navy’s Northern Fleet, which has been put on full alert, and other ground and air units across Russia. The Russian military drills comprise 40,000 troops, more than 41 warships, 15 submarines and 110 aircraft and helicopters, according to RIA news agency.

The TU-22M3 is capable of carrying the Kh-22 anti-ship missile, which was designed by the Soviet Union to target U.S. warships and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads.

Russia’s military exercises began Monday and are scheduled to last until Saturday. The stated intent of the mobilization, according to Russian defense officials, is to evaluate Russia’s northern defenses and the capabilities of its Northern Fleet.

“New challenges and threats of military security demand the further heightening of military capabilities of the armed forces and special attention will be paid to the state of the newly formed strategic merging (of forces) in the North,” said Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergey Shoigu, according to Russian news outlet Sputnik.

Russia also announced this week the deployment of Iskander tactical ballistic missile systems to the Kaliningrad region, according to TASS. The Iskander missile system has a range up to about 300 miles and is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.


The deployment of nuclear platforms within striking distance of NATO forces during this week’s drills highlights the role of nuclear weapons in Russia’s national security strategy, said Michaela Dodge, a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation.

“Russia does think about NATO as one of its primary adversaries, threatens NATO allies with a nuclear attack, and states that nuclear weapons use can be de-escalatory under some circumstances,” Dodge said.

“Provided that we have a good insight into what the Russian troops are doing in the field,” Dodge added, “opportunities for miscalculations should be low.”

In an interview aired on Russian television Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had considered putting his nuclear arsenal on alert if U.S. or NATO had intervened in Russia’s March 2014 annexation of Crimea.

“We were ready to do that,” Putin replied when asked if he was willing to put his nuclear arsenal on alert. “That’s why I think no one wanted to start a world conflict.”

Russia’s exercises this week parallel several high-profile NATO operations, underscoring the escalation of tensions to levels not seen since the Cold War.

On March 9, Norway, a NATO member country, launched a military exercise in the northern region of Finnmark, which borders Russia’s Murmansk Oblast.

The exercise, called “Joint Viking,” comprises 5,000 Norwegian military personnel.

In another NATO operation, a convoy of U.S. Army Stryker armored fighting vehicles is set to depart Saturday for a 1,100-mile journey across Eastern Europe.

The operation, named Dragoon Ride, is part of a ratcheted-up U.S. military presence across Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s involvement in the ongoing Ukraine conflict as well as other recent provocations such as repeated flybys of NATO countries by Russian warplanes and the infiltration of Russian submarines into Swedish territorial waters.

As part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the U.S. Air Force recently deployed 12 A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany and forward deployed F-16 fighters to Amari Air Base, Estonia and Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.

Despite the tit-for-tat military exercises with NATO and the deployment of nuclear weapons platforms, Russia’s actions this week are probably not a serious threat to the alliance, said Luke Coffey, Margaret Thatcher fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
 

I do not think that these exercises and troop movements are anything more than posturing,” says @LukeDCoffey

“At this point I do not think that these exercises and troop movements are anything more than posturing,” said Coffey, a U.S. Army veteran. “Nevertheless, it is important that NATO keeps an eye on Russia’s actions in the region. After the invasion of Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea nothing can be completely ruled out.”Nolan Peterson