Friday 11 March 2022
Islamabad Urdu Point DW news advertisment۔ March 11, 2022 - Almost a week after the military invasion of Ukraine, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made indirect but public threats of the use of nuclear weapons, there was an enthusiastic reaction throughout Europe. President Putin also said after his threat to the Western world that he had sent Russian submarines and mobile rocket units armed with nuclear weapons for military exercises in early March.
What are biological and chemical weapons?
Russia has more than 6,300 nuclear warheads and is the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. The United States, by contrast, has about 5,800 nuclear warheads and has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in NATO.
Of the US allies in the Western defense organization NATO, France has about 300 and Britain has about 215 nuclear weapons.
The exact number of these weapons is unclear because the so-called nuclear powers keep secret information about their nuclear programs and such weapons.
European defense system against nuclear weapons attack
When the United States mentions a shield against a nuclear attack, it does not mean that any such military strike against Europe will stop automatically.
The "defense shield" is often taken to mean that the enemy will not attack any of the NATO member states with nuclear weapons, because in such a case it must be prepared to retaliate against itself with nuclear weapons. Will
Any such military response could be decided by NATO's three nuclear powers, and in practice such a response could be given.
The United States, France and the United Kingdom all have strategic nuclear weapons, which can be used against the enemy by nuclear submarines when needed.
The psychology of scaring the enemy away
NATO's three nuclear powers are also pursuing different ideologies to intimidate the enemy and force them to be more cautious about nuclear weapons.
In Europe, France and Britain are convinced that at least a nuclear capability is enough to keep the enemy from taking such a cautious approach. He believes that any war fought with nuclear weapons will never last for many days. For Paris and London, enough nuclear capability is enough to respond to the enemy when needed.
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The United States, on the other hand, is convinced that with greater readiness, the enemy will be intimidated by nuclear weapons and forced to be extremely cautious. For this, small nuclear weapons are also given much importance. Behind this, US military planners think that even if a nuclear war ever happened, it would be "limited."
It is also worth noting in the context of international law that the use of any single nuclear weapon in the world would have dire consequences for civilians and would be a gross violation of international law. One possible scenario for a limited nuclear war under certain circumstances could be a limited nuclear attack on a warship in a very large open sea.
How is Germany involved in the European nuclear defense system?
Germany is involved in Europe's "nuclear deterrent" program with its so-called tornado fighter jets. The German Air Force aircraft are stationed at Beushal in the federal province of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the event of a nuclear attack or retaliation by the United States within NATO jurisdiction, it is the German pilots of these aircraft who will drop the nuclear weapons on their targets.
Pilots of the German Federal Air Force also conduct regular military exercises once a year in case of this possible situation.The five major world powers have pledged to end nuclear war
As a member of NATO, Germany, as well as the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, are ready to take part in any possible nuclear war scenario. Defense experts estimate that between 100 and 150 nuclear weapons are still in Europe ready to be shot down by such warplanes.
According to Peter Rudolph, a defense and political affairs expert at the Berlin-based think tank for science and politics, these nuclear weapons are a product of the defense of the past and have limited military significance today. Peter Rudolph says, "Before using these nuclear weapons, the enemy's air defense system must be dismantled, and this seems to be possible only in a major war."
Who is responsible for planning a nuclear attack?
The Western defense alliance, NATO, has had a Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) since 1996, which consults on the use of nuclear weapons in various possible situations. All NATO member states except France are represented in this nuclear planning group.
France does not join the group because it believes in pursuing its own path in nuclear deterrent affairs.
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The group holds at least one meeting each year, attended by the defense ministers of the member countries. If there is ever an emergency meeting of the members of this group, it is represented by the ambassadors of the member countries to NATO.
NATO has also set out formal guidelines for the possible use of nuclear weapons, but details of those rules are never released. NATO has always called itself a nuclear defense alliance, but the alliance has no formally announced leader, the Nuclear Manifesto.
The final decision on the use of nuclear weapons, who has the authority?
The US president still has the final say on the possible use of US nuclear weapons in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.
The US President may authorize the use of such weapons and it is the job of the air force of the country concerned to bring these weapons down on their targets through their warplanes.
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In such a scenario, regular consultations could be held in the Western defense alliance. This consultation with other NATO member states is possible at the level of the North Atlantic Council.
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In contrast, the decision on the possible use of French nuclear weapons rests solely with the French president. In the United Kingdom, this power has been given to the Prime Minister of the country.
Is it possible to use nuclear weapons in the Ukrainian war?
According to Peter Rudolph, a nuclear defense expert at the Berlin Foundation for Science and Politics, there is no prospect of a practical use of Russian nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
The threats made by Russian President Putin to use nuclear weapons are for political gain only," he said.
NATO and Britain will support Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack, but will not send troops
In the words of Peter Rudolph, "these threats are a message to the United States not to engage itself beyond a certain point in the Ukraine conflict." Was also given by, when it annexed the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine to its territory.
Andreas Noel (MM / AS)
