VIDEO: US air force preparing to put nuclear bombers back on 24-hour alert
US air force preparing to put nuclear bombers back on 24-hour alert
The US air force is planning to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour alert, a readiness level last seen in the dying days of the Cold War.
Goldfein said he wasn’t sure putting the B-52s back on alert would act as a deterrence. Source:News Corp Australia
THE US air force is one phone call away from putting its nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour alert, which is a status not seen since the final days of the Cold War.
If the order comes, B-52s loaded nuclear weapons will be located on concrete pads at the end of the Barksdale air force base’s 11,000-foot runway, set to take off at a moment’s notice.
Air force chief of staff David Goldfein stressed the alert order had not yet been given, but said preparations were under way in case it was to come.
“This is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared,” he told Defense One.
“I look at it more as not planning for any specific event, but more for the reality of the global situation we find ourselves in and how we ensure we’re prepared going forward.”
Such an order would come from the commander of US Strategic Command Gen. John Hyten who is in charge of the military’s nuclear forces or head of US Northern Command Gen. Lori Robinson who is in charge of defending North America.
Mr Goldfein said putting the B-52s back on alert would come as a direct result of the rapidly changing geopolitical environment.
“The world is a dangerous place and we’ve got folks that are talking openly about use of nuclear weapons,” he said.
Goldfein said he wasn’t sure putting the B-52s back on alert would act as a deterrence.
Goldfein said he wasn’t sure putting the B-52s back on alert would act as a deterrence. Source:News Corp Australia
“It’s no longer a bipolar world where it’s just us and the Soviet Union. We’ve got other players out there who have nuclear capability. It’s never been more important to make sure that we get this mission right.”
Given President Trump’s confrontational approach to Pyongyang, North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal, and Russia’s active armed forces, Goldfein has been encouraging airmen to think of operations for bombers and nuclear cruise missiles that stretch beyond the Cold War uses.
“I’ve challenged … air force Global Strike Command to help lead the dialogue, help with this discussion about ‘What does conventional conflict look like with a nuclear element?’ and ‘Do we respond as a global force if that were to occur?’ and ‘What are the options?’” he said.
Despite trying to get airman to think about the battlefield, Mr Goldfein said he wasn’t sure putting the B-52s back on alert would act as a deterrence.
“Really it depends on who, what kind of behaviour are we talking about, and whether they’re paying attention to our readiness status,” he said.
In preparation for the order, an old concrete building near the alert pads is being renovated to hold beds for more than 100 crew members and a recreation room, with a pool table, TVs and shuffleboard table is also going to be added.
“Our job is options,” Mr Goldfein said. “We provide best military advice and options for the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defence. Should the STRATCOM commander require or the NORTHCOM commander require us to (be on) a higher state of readiness to defend the homeland, then we have to have a place to put those forces.”
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