| B61 12 | MR Online B61-12

B61-12: new U.S. nuclear warheads coming to Europe

Originally published: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on December 22, 2022 by International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) (more by International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN))  | (Posted Jan 27, 2023)

Boeing designed the bomb’s new guided-tailkit, giving it additional maneuverability and the appearance of more precision. But, it’s a nuclear weapon, and has different yields, from 0.3kt to 50kt. These bombs can detonate beneath the Earth’s surface, increasing their destructiveness against underground targets to the equivalent of a surface-burst weapon with a yield of 1,250 kilotons–the equivalent of 83 Hiroshima bombs.

These nuclear weapons are coming to Europe in a time of heightened nuclear tension on the continent, and even as the majority of people in European host countries want to remove nuclear weapons and join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Combined with the lack of transparency around nuclear sharing, this moment raises questions about whether citizens in the host states would agree to be complicit if these weapons are ever used.  Even if the bombs are American and the U.S. retains launch authority, they would most likely be dropped by Europeans. If the U.S. decides to use its nuclear weapons located in Germany, the warheads are loaded onto German planes and a German pilot drops them.

Share this video to spread the word about these new nuclear weapons and join the movement to eliminate them.

Monthly Review does not necessarily adhere to all of the views conveyed in articles republished at MR Online. Our goal is to share a variety of left perspectives that we think our readers will find interesting or useful. —Eds.