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US Preparing to Put Nuclear Bombers On 24-Hour Alert (defenseone.com)

DefenseOne reports on new preparations at Barksdale Air Force Base: The U.S. Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour ready alert, a status not seen since the Cold War ended in 1991. That means the long-dormant concrete pads at the ends of this base's 11,000-foot runway -- dubbed the "Christmas tree" for their angular markings -- could once again find several B-52s parked on them, laden with nuclear weapons and set to take off at a moment's notice... Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, and other senior defense officials stressed that the alert order had not been given, but that preparations were under way in anticipation that it might come...

Already, various improvements have been made to prepare Barksdale -- home to the 2d Bomb Wing and Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the service's nuclear forces -- to return B-52s to an alert posture. Near the alert pads, an old concrete building -- where B-52 crews during the Cold War would sleep, ready to run to their aircraft and take off at a moment's notice -- is being renovated. Inside, beds are being installed for more than 100 crew members, more than enough room for the crews that would man bombers positioned on the nine alert pads outside... Large paintings of the patches for each squadron at Barksdale adorn the walls of a large stairway. One painting -- a symbol of the Cold War -- depicts a silhouette of a B-52 with the words "Peace The Old Fashioned Way," written underneath.

General Goldfein, the Air Force's top officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "is asking his force to think about new ways that nuclear weapons could be used for deterrence, or even combat... '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.'"

5 of 578 comments (clear)

  1. Major 'King" Kong by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Call up Major Kong, he knew how to handle a nuclear weapon. Ahhhhh hoooo!

  2. Just started replaying Fallout: New Vegas by cervesaebraciator · · Score: 4, Funny

    Once upon a time, I bought and started playing Pandemic. Right after, just as I started enjoying the game, there was the West African Ebola outbreak. And now? I start replaying Fallout and this happens.

    That's it. From here on out my only entertainment will be re-watching the Death by Snu Snu episode.

  3. Re:Strange days indeed.... by Pseudonym · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, there were only two Superman films in that series. Just like how there were only three Indiana Jones films and only one Highlander film.

    --
    sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  4. Re:Strange days indeed.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    > Even North Korea must know that internally.

    You have a dumb-ass histrionic narcissistic "supreme leader" vs a impulsive narcissistic moron world leader.

    North Korea is dumb enough to nuke the USA.
    The USA is dumb enough to wipe North Korea off the face of the earth.

    You do the math. Stupid people do stupid things.

    Intelligent people will occasionally act stupid.
    Stupid people act stupid all the time.

    There is no hope for these two.
    --
    Judaism is the source of Christian indulgences: Murdering an innocent animals for heaven insurance.

    But THE EMAILS! WHAT ABOUT THE EMAILS! ... the voters

  5. Re:Strange days indeed.... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Funny

    only one Highlander film.

    Duh. Everyone knows there can be only one Highlander.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.