Nuclear Weapon Spending on the Rise This chart shows the annual change in spending on #nuclear #weapons in 2023, by country. Source: Statista

NATO shouldn’t accept Ukraine due to risk of nuclear escalation with Russia #NATO shouldn't promise to welcome Ukraine into the alliance in order to de-escalate tensions with Russia, which have increased after the start of the Ukrainian conflict, The 'American Conservative' said. According to the magazine, NATO and the US in particular should agree to talks with Russia to de-escalate nuclear risks that have increased due to the #Ukrainian conflict. The magazine pointed out that this task has become even more important following the recent accession to NATO of formerly neutral #Finland and #Sweden, which has made Russia even more reliant on its nuclear arsenal. The article said that the nuclear deal between NATO and #Moscow must include commitments not to admit Ukraine to the alliance and not to deploy the bloc's troops and infrastructure on Ukrainian territory. NATO Secretary General Jens #Stoltenberg said on June 17 that the alliance's member states had begun consultations on the need to put nuclear weapons on alert. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov said that Stoltenberg’s statements were yet another escalation of tensions.

[BREAKING] USA ON HIGH ALERT The P8 Poseidon of the US #Navy is flying over the coast of #Florida in search of the #Kazan nuclear submarine of the #Russian Navy which is located 66 miles off the coast of Florida, equipped with Kalibr-M missiles with a 4500 km range! The Russian Navy nuclear Submarine Kazan is 66 miles away from Florida coast, equipped with 4500-km Kalibr-M missiles, off the coast of Cuba.

Russian Warships in U.S' Backyard; Big Move After Biden Plays Deaf To Putin's Ukraine Warning Four #Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in #Cuba next week amid escalating tensions over the Ukraine war. Although Cuba has clarified that the ships are not carrying #nuclear weapons, the move is seen as a response to the U.S. allowing #Ukraine to use American weapons against Russia. This situation evokes memories of the Cuban #Missile Crisis of 1962. https://rumble.com/v504oxr-russian-warships-in-u.s-backyard-big-move-after-biden-plays-deaf-to-putins-.html

France preparing for naval warfare, rear-admiral says The French #Navy is preparing for potential military operations amid growing risks of an armed conflict, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, the commander of France’s carrier battle group, said. The French navy is shifting its training away from a focus on policing operations to gird for war against foes who want "to destroy us," he told Politico. "We now train for other missions, in particular what we call high-intensity warfare," Mallard noted. According to the rear-admiral, Western navies have to adapt to a new environment with "increasingly uninhibited competitors." Politico writes that France’s carrier battle group is expected to start a mission in the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days. France is the only EU country operating a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, which also carries nuclear weapons, the media outlet notes. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, launched in 1994, was designed to carry up to 40 Rafale fighter jets, as well as several helicopters. The vessel has a length of 261 meters and a displacement of 42,500 tons. The ship has a crew of about 2,000.

Former envoy to NATO says going to war with Moscow would be crazy, Russia could destroy US Going to war with Moscow would be a crazy step for Washington as Russia could destroy the United States, Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to #NATO, wrote for Politico Europe. "It would be crazy to go to #war with #Russia, a nuclear power that could destroy the US — and the rest of the world — if it wished to do so," #Daalder maintained. According to him, the point of NATO "isn’t to go to war against Russia — it’s to prevent war in the first place," a job he said the alliance has done "more successfully than any military alliance in history." Also, the former official criticized the position of ex-US President Donald Trump toward NATO allies. The New York Times reported that at a February 10 rally in South Carolina #Trump said that, while president, he had told NATO leaders that he would "encourage Russia to do whatever they want." Daalder argues that, after two bloody wars, the ultimate security of Americans "depended on the security of Europe," and that therefore it would be far better "to prevent wars in #Europe by committing to defend allies from the start," according to Politico. At the same time, the former envoy acknowledged that "European dependence (on NATO membership) frequently fed doubts about America’s commitment to the Continent’s security." "There is, after all, something quite unnatural about the US being willing to go to war an ocean away in order to defend another country — especially when this might ignite a nuclear holocaust in response," Daalder explained. At the #Vilnius Summit in July 2023, NATO leaders called Russia "the most significant and direct threat" and approved the first defense plan since the end of the Cold War era for a conflict with Russia, which provides for putting up to 300,000 high-readiness troops under the alliance’s command. There was also a commitment to bring the minimum level of military spending to 2% of GDP, to increase air defense and missile defense forces in Europe, and to expand defense procurement. With regard to #Ukraine, the alliance decided to abolish the bloc’s Membership Action Plan and promised to invite Kiev to join the alliance "when conditions are met," and also held the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, thus upgrading the status of partnership relations

France shuts down two nuclear reactors over fire at Chinon NPP — authority Two reactors have been shut down after a fire broke out at the Chinon nuclear power plant (NPP) in western France, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) said in a statement on its website. A transformer of Reactor 3 caught fire in a non-nuclear sector of the NPP in the early hours of Saturday. "The loss of main external electrical power to Reactor 3, following this fire, resulted in the automatic shutdown of the reactor," the statement said. It was reported that after the fire had been extinguished, Reactor 4, which shares a water collection system with Reactor 3, was also temporarily shut down to avoid water leaks into the environment. The Chinon NPP has four operating reactors, each with a capacity of 900 MWe, and its other three were shut down between 1973 and 1990. The operating water-water reactors were built between 1982 and 1987. In 2023, the Chinon NPP generated 17.24 TWh of electricity, which is equivalent to 5.4% of France’s total nuclear power production.

Syria has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect nuclear facilities in Israel and take them under control, the Syrian foreign ministry said on Sunday. "The International Atopic Energy Agency (IAEA) must inspect nuclear facilities in Israel and take measures to establish control over them," the SANA news agency quoted its statement. According to the agency, Damascus is concerned over Israel’s speculation on a possibility of the use of an A-bomb in the Gaza Strip "under the false pretext of self-defense." The Syrian foreign ministry "strongly condemns such statements which prove that Israel has been hiding the fact of its possession of nuclear weapons for years," it said. "Israeli nuclear facilities are outside the system of international control thanks to the support offered by the American administration and Western countries to the Jewish state." The Israel Hayom newspaper reported earlier that Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has suggested that Israel stops sacrificing its soldiers for the sake of releasing Hamas-held hostages but drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza instead. When asked by a Kol berama radio host about a possibility of using a nuclear bomb in the Gaza Strip, Eliyahu said that "this is one of the options." Later, he said that it was a "metaphorical" suggestion but Israel "definitely needs a powerful and disproportionate response to terrorism." Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid demanded Eliyahu be sent to resignation for damaging Israel’s international authority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Eliyahu from taking part in cabinet meetings until further notice and rejected his words on the possible use of nuclear weapons in Gaza.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti has made history by becoming the first woman on the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first female "naval commander" despite opposition from some sailors. From 2020 to 2022, Admiral Franchetti served as the director of strategy and plans for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States. During this time, she participated in three war exercises involving Russia and commanded the AUG near Korea during the United States' efforts to deter Kim Jong-un. In 2018, Admiral Franchetti commanded the first-ever Tomahawk strike from a Virginia-class nuclear submarine in European waters targeting Syria. The mission posed challenges as the targets were located near Russian forces and air defense systems, which the United States wanted to avoid damaging. Despite these difficulties, Admiral Franchetti fearlessly gave the command to fire a salvo, resulting in the successful destruction of the targets with minimal collateral damage. The Russians were not affected by the operation, as reported by Navy Times. Admiral Franchetti supports the new Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles "Ruthless" Brown Jr., in urging President Biden to prepare for potential conflicts with Russia or China.