(Zero Hedge)—The nuclear deterrence capabilities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are set to be significantly enhanced as the US Air Force’s newest fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35A Lightning II, has been operationally certified to be equipped with B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs for the first time.
“The F-35A is the first 5th generation nuclear capable aircraft ever, and the first new platform (fighter or bomber) to achieve this status since the early 1990s. This F-35 Nuclear Certification effort culminates 10+ years of intense effort across the nuclear enterprise, which consists of 16 different government and industry stakeholders,” F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russ Goemaere told military blog Breaking Defense.
Goemaere said, “The F-35A achieved Nuclear Certification ahead of schedule, providing US and NATO with a critical capability that supports US extended deterrence commitments earlier than anticipated.”
In 2021, an F-35 dropped a mock nuclear bomb at Sandia National Laboratories’ Tonopah Test Range over the Nevada desert.
In late 2022, Germany signed a contract with the US to purchase dozens of F-35s capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Under NATO’s nuclear sharing program, Germany has about 20 B61 bombs.
The “dual-capable” stealth fighter that can now carry both conventional and nuclear weapons is replacing fourth-generation fighters in almost all NATO states that participate in nuclear sharing. The F-35’s ability to carry modernized B61-12 nuclear bombs will beef up NATO’s regional deterrence capabilities and help deter further Russian aggression
“This move is part of the US expanding effort in and among the US and NATO allies to counter Putin’s coercive threats to use nuclear weapons as a means to break our collective strategic resolve against Russia. Putin knows that the F-35 is more than capable of stealthily penetrating his airspace and delivering sensitive payloads,” said David Asher, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.
It remains to be seen how Moscow will react to nuclear-capable F-35s flying near Russian borders and in the Baltic area. Russia also has a fifth-generation fighter jet, the Su-57 fighter, known by NATO as ‘Felon.’
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
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Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
