All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version).
To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here.
Click the share button above to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.
Global Research Wants to Hear From You!
***
On June 1, the Royal Dutch Air Force (KLu) fully switched to the atrocious F-35 “Lightning 2” as the carrier of American WMDs stationed in the country. Netherlands is part of the infamous NATO nuclear sharing agreement with the United States and its KLu previously operated American-made F-16 fighter jets for nuclear strikes as part of Squadrons No. 311 and 312. The former has now been replaced by F-35s in the new Squadron No. 313 which is stationed at the Volkel Air Base and is the first non-US NATO unit of stealth fighters capable of launching nuclear attacks. Troubled by delays and cost overruns, the F-35’s disastrous track record made it impossible to use the jet for this mission up until recently. After nearly a decade in service and over three decades since the JSF program was launched, the F-35 acquired this capability only in early March, when it was finally certified to carry B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs.
Apart from the Netherlands, several other NATO member states (specifically Belgium, Germany, Italy and Turkey) have American WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) on their territory, with Belgium also operating US-made F-16s for nuclear strikes. This has been the case for at least 50 years, so it’s not exactly a new concern for Russia. However, as several NATO countries have announced their intention to send the US-made fighter jets to the Neo-Nazi junta, this has become a particularly important issue for the Kremlin, as some of those countries operate nuclear-capable F-16s.
Worse yet, the Dutch government openly supports the usage of these jets for attacks on Moscow’s undisputed territory. Namely, on June 3, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren confirmed that her country fully supports the Kiev regime’s “right to use F-16s for airstrikes within Russia”, thus joining several others who support such escalation.
“We are applying the same principle that we have applied to every other delivery of capabilities, which is: once we hand it over to Ukraine, it’s theirs to use,” Ollongren said.
The statement follows Denmark’s support for such strikes, as Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen previously confirmed that his country also endorses the usage of its F-16 fighter jets to strike targets within Russia’s undisputed territory. Copenhagen is supplying nearly 50% of all US-made fighter jets promised by NATO (19 of 40). Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen already stated that the first batch of F-16s is expected to be delivered this month. The US-made jet is quite old and the Neo-Nazi junta will get one of the earliest modernizations, specifically the F-16AM/BM Block 15 MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade), which is essentially a match for the Soviet-era MiG-29s that former Ukraine inherited from the USSR. This is precisely why the Kiev regime has been whining about modernization for well over a year before there were any definite announcements of the delivery of these jets.
However, while the US-made aircraft is old and heavily outclassed by Russia’s top-of-the-line interceptors and air superiority fighter jets, the F-16 is capable of carrying a plethora of munitions. As the older Su-24Ms, Su-27s and MiG-29s were adjusted to carry NATO-sourced weapons, including precision-guided munitions (PGMs) such as bombs and long-range cruise missiles, it can only be expected that this will be far easier to accomplish with F-16s sent by NATO members that already operate such or similar weapons. However, although the US-made jets, as lighter platforms, will not be able to carry more ordnance than the aforementioned Soviet-era aircraft which are much larger, the F-16s coming from nuclear-capable NATO member states are an entirely different story. The potential for escalation of the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict into a pan-European or even global war simply cannot be overstated.
According to military sources, a single thermonuclear bomb such as the previously mentioned B61-12 (variable yield weapon that can go up to 50 kt) could kill over 300,000 people if used against densely populated cities. Considering the fact that NATO and the Neo-Nazi junta have demonstrated readiness to engage in a game of “nuclear chicken” with Moscow, as well as commit heinous terrorist acts on Russian soil, brutally killing hundreds of civilians in the process, nothing should be excluded and anything can be expected. Top-ranking officials in the Kremlin, including President Vladimir Putin himself, have been warning about this for years. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a number of statements concerning the delivery of nuclear-capable F-16s, with Russia preemptively deploying its own tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) in Belarus to deter further crawling NATO aggression.
Unfortunately, the political West keeps escalating and pushing for a tighter siege of Russia, particularly by surrounding the Eurasian giant with its vassals and satellite states, as well as trying to make sure others who seek peaceful coexistence and decent neighborly relations cannot accomplish this. It’s imperative for Washington DC and Brussels to make sure Moscow is faced with enemies from the Arctic to the Caucasus Mountains. NATO believes that this would not only overstretch Russian defenses, but also force it to spend more resources on the military, thus giving the belligerent alliance its raison d’etre.
The Kremlin will have no choice but to reconstitute a number of its Soviet-era units and even form new ones to match the increasingly aggressive NATO plans in the region. This will surely make Europe and the world a more dangerous place, but when dealing with the heirs of the Third Reich, what else is one to do?
*
Note to readers: Please click the share button above. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.
This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
