US puts nuclear-armed bombers on full alert for the first time since the Cold War as tension with North Korea mounts

US B52 aircraft will be readied with nuclear weapons and put on 24 hour alert.
Getty Images
David Gardner23 October 2017

The US Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers on 24-hour alert for the first time since the Cold War amid escalating tensions with North Korea.

The dramatic move means B-52s laden with nuclear weapons could soon be ready to take-off from America at a moment’s notice.

It comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to ramp up tensions between the two countries with threats to ‘destroy’ the US and Russia increases its military might.

"This is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared," said General David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff. "I look at it more as not planning for any specific event, but more for the reality of the global situation we find ourselves in and how we ensure we’re prepared going forward.

"The world is a dangerous place and we've got folks that are talking openly about use of nuclear weapons," he added. "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."

Just weeks ago, President Donald Trump warned about the "calm before the storm" following a White House meeting with his military leaders.

A US B-52 Stratofortress is escorted by a South Korean fighter jet as it flies over an air base in January last year.
AFP/Getty Images

Now the nuclear-armed planes will almost certainly return to the long-dormant concrete pads at the end of an 11,000-ft runway at Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana.

Renovations are already said to be under way at Barksdale, home to the 2d Bomb Wing and Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the service’s nuclear forces. Beds for more than 100 crew members are being installed in a concrete building that once housed Cold War pilots who were prepared to take-off at any time around the clock.

There’s a recreation room, with a pool table, TVs and a shuffleboard table for B-52 crews working shifts through the night.

In an interview with Defense One magazine, General Goldfein said the alert order had not yet been made. But he confirmed that preparations were under way in anticipation that the green light will be given.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
AP

The last time America’s airborne nuclear arsenal was put on alert was the end of the Cold War 26 years ago.

"I’ve challenged Air Force Global Strike Command to help lead the dialog, help with this discussion about ‘What does conventional conflict look like with a nuclear element?" and "Do we respond as a global force if that were to occur?" and "What are the options?" added General Goldfein.

"How do we think about it - how do we think about deterrence in that environment?"

Asked if placing B-52s back on alert would help as a deterrent, General Goldfein said: "Really it depends on who, what kind of behaviour are we talking about, and whether they’re paying attention to our readiness status."

Defense One says that two nuclear command planes, the E-4B Nightwatch and E-6B Mercury, will be deployed to Barksdale.

During a nuclear war, the planes would become the flying command posts of the Defense Secretary.

If the president gives a strike order, the planes would be used to transmit launch codes to bombers, Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles and submarines.

The final say on the alert order will be with General John Hyten, the commander of US Strategic Command, and Gen. Lori Robinson, the head of US Northern Command.

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