This is Worrisome But Probably Necessary

11/12/23 Eurasian Times:

"Months after Russia’s ally Belarus received tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow, there is indication that the United States is assisting the Dutch F-35A in taking on its role as a nuclear carrier platform.

Amid increased nuclear threat looming over Europe, the Netherlands announced that it had obtained “initial certification for the deterrence mission,” suggesting that some of the F-35A stealth fighters that are part of NATO’s fleet are getting closer to being fully nuclear-capable. 

The F-35A was to be certified as a “Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA)” by January 2024, according to an earlier announcement by the US Air Force, with the capability to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb. The US Air Force has not yet disclosed if any other country or its F-35As have received certification to deploy the B61-12."

While the Netherlands has no nuclear weapons it appears that there is a program in which the U.S. will hand off nuclear weapons to our NATO allies as part of the nuclear deterrent against Russia.

This makes unfortunate sense.  Russia keeps rattling the nuclear sword.  Having multiple air forces capable of destroying Russia in the event of invasion or at least making that a realistic threat with stealthy planes like the F-35 should be a strong deterrent.  That is the point of it; make nuclear war so unimaginably destructive that only a madman (which I do not think describes Putin) would try it.

I really think if Putin ordered use of strategic nuclear weapons (or maybe even tactical nuclear weapons), a few adults in the Russian military would recognize that few Russians would be alive in two decades and give Putin a chance to reach room temperature.

Not only would tens of millions of Russians die in initial explosions or fallout, but millions would starve to death from the inevitable collapse of food and fuel infrastructure.  The existing population decline caused by the Stalinist purges, World War II losses, and the 1990s refusal to have children would be turned into an astonishing death spiral.  People stop having children if they lack confidence in the future.  Post-nuclear war Russia would likely be a frozen Road Warrior disaster.

The U.S. faces a similar disaster if things go hot.  We are already below replacement fertility.  We are not as dangerously concentrated as Russia but our major cities would be heavily depopulated.  A substantial loss of Americans would doom us long term.

Getting a solar system for the house looks better and better.  I have found a pretty decent water storage solution.  The 5.3 gallon plastic container I bought on Amazon is tough and a week and a half in, the water is very drinkable.  I do not plan to keep these constantly filled.  If things started to look bad, I would fill about 50 gallons at once.  If our solar system keeps running, water will continue to be available.  There are EMP-resistant inverters.  Even if the solar panels were destroyed, the battery backup and inverter would likely keep water pumping from the well for some weeks with no other electricity demands.  Sorry, you will not be seeing any new blog posts in that case.

I still have not found an indoor cooking solution.  Once radiation levels fell enough the grill would provide a solution for cooking rice and warming chili.  For a couple of weeks, that will not be possible.  The chemical heaters I found on Amazon seem to not be capable of even warming chili adequately much less cooking rice.  Of course, a couple weeks of not eating would be annoying but put me and most other Americans in much better health.