NATO to keep nuclear weapons

Defense Talk ^ | 11/8/2010 | Defense Talk

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

NATO leaders are unlikely to agree to reduce the defense organization's tactical nuclear stockpiles when they meet later this month, defense officials said Saturday.

The leaders are to meet in Lisbon on November 19-20 to map out the future of the 61-year-old alliance. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will also attend the talks expected to touch on missile defense.

The nuclear arsenal across Europe remains a source of friction with Russia and within NATO -- with Germany, Poland and Sweden calling for a greater NATO commitment to nuclear disarmament resisted by France and the United States.

But a revised mission statement is not likely to address US nuclear weapons in Europe originally meant to deter a Russian invasion, according to defense officials

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

B-61 Bomb

[Wildbill22]

I am clearly no expert, but I wonder how a nuclear gravity bomb could be effectively delivered anywhere given modern air defenses. Given our main “adversary” in the nuclear balance is Russia, I would think the effectiveness of the latest S-400 SAM would make delivery problematic for anything other than stealth, and the Russians claim even that is effectively dealt with in the S-400.

Why not a nuclear stealth missile, or hypersonic or something more survivable, because the B-61 design is over 30 years old. The Russians have all kinds of nuclear standoff missiles, like the Kickback AS-16 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raduga_Kh-15 on their still numerous Backfire fleet, which probably isn’t counted in the latest treaty.

We are definitely outnumbered and outgunned in Tactical Nuclear weapons. But I am sure Obama has it all in hand. Hope and change and all...