While tensions over the belligerent North Korea escalate, the Trump administration felt pressure to push back. He has made significant ground toward this end by using rhetoric that Kim Jong Un can understand, speaking in grand and rather over the top-threats. This seems to have gotten Jong Un’s attention, and he had relaxed his stance somewhat in recent days. That is until North Korea launched a missile that managed to overshoot Japan this week.
But, there’s more to worry about than the infantile North Korean government. Despite the apparent accord between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, relations between the U.S. and Russia are not without problems. At present, Russia has a fighter jet which some say is superior to our F-35. Russia’s anti-intercontinental ballistic missile defense system, nicknamed “The Monster,” is believed to be nearly impenetrable. Putin has boasted that he could wipe out the U.S. in under thirty minutes, and with the shriveled state that the Obama administration left our military in, he may be right.
But we are not completely defenseless, and despite pressures from within Washington to eviscerate our military. Last April, the Air Force ran a successful test of a new miniaturized tactical nuclear missile known as the B61-12 gravity nuclear bomb, and they ran another successful test at the beginning of August.
This second qualification test, conducted at a Nevada Air Force base, has been declared a success. The new weapon is slated to undergo a series of tests expected to be strung out over the next three years.
During the test, two unarmed B61-12 gravity bombs were deployed from F-15 fighters. The test was designed to demonstrate the non-nuclear functions of the bombs such as their ability to be dropped from an F-15, radar guiding capability, and accuracy bearing down on a target.
Phil Calbos, the acting NNSA administrator said, “The B61-12 life extension program is progressing on schedule to meet national security requirements. These realistic flight qualification tests validate the design of the B61-12 when it comes to system performance.”
This test came just two months after Russia Today reminded us that the test took place only two months following reports that a group of senators has been encouraging Donald Trump to rebuild the country’s military.
The editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine said, “The fact of the test of this modification of the nuclear bomb indicates that the US continues an accelerated rearmament program of its tactical nuclear arsenal in Europe, as well as that both Washington and Brussels are considering the scenario of a limited nuclear war in Europe.”
After the announcement that the B61 program would be prolonged, Russia released a statement saying Moscow worries the move will destabilize global security.
The deputy head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, “This means that the armaments threshold could, in theory, have been lowered, which of course will destabilize the situation to a certain extent.”
The program, which started under the Obama administration, sets forth policies that will trigger up to $1 trillion in spending over the next 30 years in order to upgrade and modernize the United States’ nuclear strike capabilities.
Brigadier general Michael Lutton remarked that the latest test of the new ordinance was, “[A] demonstration of effective end-to-end system performance in a realistic ballistic flight environment marks another on-time achievement for the B61-12 Life Extension Program.”
All of this is, of course, in line with promises made by the president both before and after the election, promises to make America’s military stronger than it has ever been. It was a surprisingly nuanced message, combining both the America First mantra with strong military funding, both avoiding needless foreign entanglements while focusing on the military’s first and only job — protecting and defending the American people.
“The successful test provides critical qualification data to validate that the baseline design meets military requirements,” the general added. “It reflects the nation’s continued commitment to our national security and that of our allies and partners.”
Some have criticized the program, however, saying that the delivery system does not provide a workable solution to the current state of Russian defenses. This presupposes that it is designed for use against Russia. However, Trump’s use of the MOAB in April shows us that the B61-12 may well be used to finally decimate ISIS.
~ Liberty Planet
