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The Hostage Air Base – and Its Hydrogen Bombs
American Thinker ^ | July 20, 2016 | Stephen D. Bryen and Shoshana Bryen

Posted on 07/20/2016 11:00:58 AM PDT by Kaslin

The United States runs its air operations against ISIS in Iraq from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. The base, used by other NATO forces as well, is not American. It is Turkish, and the U.S. needs government permission to fly from there. Since the 15 July coup attempt in Ankara, U.S. forces at Incirlik are essentially hostages to the Turkish government. The Turkish base commander and his aides have been arrested; U.S. personnel are confined to base; outside power has been cut off; and while the U.S. has been permitted to resume operations over Iraq and Syria, it is working under adverse conditions, to say the least. Most worrisome, about 50 hydrogen bombs are stored by the U.S. at Incirlik, ostensibly on behalf of NATO. These bombs are "protected" by Turkish troops and to some degree their potential use is shared with the Turkish Air Force.

The deployment goes back more than 50 years, begun as an effort to counter the Soviet military buildup as an offset to quantitatively larger Soviet ground forces facing Europe. But by the mid-1980s the U.S. put more emphasis on "tactical" missiles, largely to counter the Soviet Union's deployment of SS-20's, a short to medium range missile with multiple, independently targeted warheads (MIRV) in the second and third versions of the SS-20. In 1987 the Intermediate and Short-range Missile Nuclear Treaty (INF) was signed and the Russians and the U.S. began removing their missiles. By 1991, all the missiles of concern on both sides were eliminated.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: 2016issues; bho44; bomb; erdogancountercoup; hydrogenbomb; incirlik; incirlikhostage; nationalsecurity; nato; nuclear; threat; turkey; turkeycountercoup; turkeycoup
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To: Kaslin

All according to Obama’s plan


21 posted on 07/20/2016 11:27:01 AM PDT by WMarshal (Trump 2016)
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To: Kaslin

Interesting article.


22 posted on 07/20/2016 11:29:14 AM PDT by McGruff (How about investigating the donations to the Clinton Foundation)
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To: D Rider

This article states these are “dial-a-yield” bombs:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-h-bombs-in-turkey

“According to Hans M. Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, underground vaults at Incirlik hold about fifty B-61 hydrogen bombs—more than twenty-five per cent of the nuclear weapons in the nato stockpile. The nuclear yield of the B-61 can be adjusted to suit a particular mission. The bomb that destroyed Hiroshima had an explosive force equivalent to about fifteen kilotons of TNT. In comparison, the “dial-a-yield” of the B-61 bombs at Incirlik can be adjusted from 0.3 kilotons to as many as a hundred and seventy kilotons.”


23 posted on 07/20/2016 11:30:44 AM PDT by JohnnyP
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To: Robert DeLong

They don’t have the critical component installed and they don’t have the arming computer installed on the aircraft. Even if they had all three (bomb, component computer) they would still require the correct launch codes to arm it.


24 posted on 07/20/2016 11:32:06 AM PDT by PJammers (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: Kaslin

I’ve yet to find a definitive answer to the question are there US nukes at Incirlik?

Many posters have repeated over different threads that the nukes were removed years ago yet the recent articles state that are around 50 or so variable yield bombs on the base.

So, are these articles hype or is it true that we do have nukes cashed there?


25 posted on 07/20/2016 11:32:42 AM PDT by Rebelbase ( Pokemon is a dark evil bent on consuming our souls.)
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To: MarchonDC09122009
“Pull your forces out of Afghanistan, Iraq, etc, or we’ll set off another dirty bomb in some of your precious western financially significant cities.”

Terrifying game changer.

STFU

or we’ll set off many CLEAN bombs in lots of your precious Eastern religiously significant cities.”

CHECKMATE game changer.

26 posted on 07/20/2016 11:33:13 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Mariner

“IF those weapons were in imminent danger we would already be at Defcon One. “

Under an Obama command?


27 posted on 07/20/2016 11:34:08 AM PDT by Rebelbase ( Pokemon is a dark evil bent on consuming our souls.)
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To: MarchonDC09122009
Accuracy has not been a guarantee for air-dropped nuclear weapons

Oh?

Hook a 30 yo Walleye to guide them in.

Besides; how damn 'accurate' does a nuke need to be??

28 posted on 07/20/2016 11:34:45 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Mariner

If those weapons are in imminent danger of capture, they are already rigged with emergency destruction devices (15 pound shaped charges) and can be destroyed at a moments notice.

Or at least that’s the way these situations were handled back in my day.


29 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:14 AM PDT by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: MarchonDC09122009; JohnnyP

Didn’t know that. Dial a yield, pretty cool stuff. Wish I had one, you know, to defend the back 40.


30 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:19 AM PDT by D Rider
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To: Mariner
IF those weapons were in imminent danger we would already be at Defcon One.

even with the enemy in the white house?

31 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:42 AM PDT by bankwalker (Does a fish know that it's wet?)
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To: D Rider

Modern thermonuclear weapons are in the 100kt range and most are dial-a-yield.
Above a certain level, it is more efficient to use multiple smaller warheads than one big one.

There are still some 60’s megaton warheads still out there but most have been disassembled.


32 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:43 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: Mariner
This is the first intent to deceive and create an incident where there is none.

Yeah but they arrested those in charge, so different Turks are now in control, and they are nothing like those they replaced.

Furthermore, I honestly doubt Ash Carter would ever go to Defcon One, even if it were warranted. But do you think they would go directly there or would there be a more gradual escalation?

33 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:44 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Kaslin

not hostage....... qurantined for it’s own protection


34 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:47 AM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP ....Opabinia can teach us a lot)
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To: Kaslin

under a normal admin, this would justify the use of a B2 wreath to take out the ordinance. Might lose troops in the collateral, but better than letting them get in the wrong hands or allowing the entire situation to be used as blackmail.


35 posted on 07/20/2016 11:35:55 AM PDT by jimjohn
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To: Fitzy_888
In exchange for the release of the hostages the Iran’s demanded the return of the Shah.   And then Reagan was elected.

In exchange for the release of the hostages the Turk’s demanded the return of Gulen.      And then Trump was elected.

36 posted on 07/20/2016 11:36:03 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: MarchonDC09122009

I agree, and we would all rather be diverted with speech-gate!


37 posted on 07/20/2016 11:36:49 AM PDT by Stormy_MS1
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To: MarchonDC09122009

Who was it who said, “Close only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades and H-bombs.”?


38 posted on 07/20/2016 11:37:13 AM PDT by tgusa (gun control: hitting your target.)
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To: Fred Hayek

How can we be sure they either do not know the codes, or have the knowledge to dismantle and reassemble?


39 posted on 07/20/2016 11:38:03 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Jay Thomas

If Russia were to bomb the vaults holding the B61 weapons would it result in nuclear detonation of those weapons?


40 posted on 07/20/2016 11:38:10 AM PDT by pleasenotcalifornia
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