US tests nuclear bomb B61-12 - expert explains what lies behind

Tests of the new US B61-12 bomb change point to the accelerated rearmament of US tactical nuclear forces in Europe, suggests military expert Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine, in an interview.

Earlier, the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration announced it had conducted two tests of the modified B61-12 nuclear bomb in Nevada earlier this month in conjunction with the country's Air Force. The bomb, which had no nuclear warheads, was dropped from an F-15E fighter. The objective of the test was to evaluate the non-nuclear functions of the bomb, as well as the ability of the hunt to carry weapons.

For the specialist, the B61-12 should become the main tactical weapon used by the Air Force of NATO countries in the event of a possible conflict with Russia. "During regular military training, including in the Baltic Sea, the NATO Air Force repeatedly trained missions involving the use of tactical nuclear strikes against various targets in the north-west of our country," he said.

The three modern air bases located in the territory of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been re-equipped to house NATO's tactical aviation and that is where the Alliance's considerable air resources will be stationed in the event of a hypothetical confrontation, according to the editor-in-chief of Natsionalnaya magazine Oborona.
Relations between Russia and NATO worsened in March 2014.

Russian President Dmitry Peskov has said earlier that Russia poses no threat to anyone, but will not let a potential danger to his interests go unnoticed. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reported that the NATO contingent on the Russian border is three times larger than it was ten years ago, and on the western border - eight times larger.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a documentary filmed by US director Oliver Stone and launched in June, NATO's expansion and the installation of the missile defense system in Europe led Russia to react. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to attack any NATO country. According to the Russian chancellor, NATO is well aware that Russia does not plan to attack anyone, but simply takes advantage of the situation to install more war material and battalions near the Russian border.