The United States has accelerated the deployment of upgraded B61-12 tactical bombs at NATO bases in Europe. Politico writes about this with reference to a diplomatic cable and two interlocutors who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The arrival of the upgraded B61-12 air-launched gravity bomb, previously scheduled for spring 2023, has been pushed back to December this year, US officials told NATO allies during a closed-door meeting in Brussels this month, according to a cable.
This involves replacing old weapons with newer versions in storage in Europe for potential use by US and allied bombers and fighters. The move comes amid heightened tensions over Russia's threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and growing concern that the West must do more to rein in Moscow.
The modernization of the B61 program has been openly discussed in budget documents and public statements for many years. Representatives of the Pentagon said that the modernization is necessary to ensure the security of the arsenal.
At the same time, Pentagon representative Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said in a comment that the modernization of weapons is not related to Russia's war against Ukraine.
“While we are not going to discuss the details of our nuclear arsenal, the modernization of the US B61 nuclear weapon has been underway for many years, and plans to safely and responsibly replace the older weapons with upgraded versions of the B61-12 are part of a long-planned and planned modernization effort. It is in no way related to the current events in Ukraine and was not accelerated in any way," he emphasized.