EU To Set Up A Stockpile In Finland To Respond To Chemical And Nuclear Emergencies

FILE PHOTO. Lee Jin-man, AP  

Euronews: EU sets up first stockpile to respond to chemical and nuclear emergencies in Finland 

The European Union is ramping up its preparedness for possible chemical and nuclear emergencies as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears the one-year mark with a stockpile of items to be set up in Finland, it was announced on Tuesday. 

A total of €242 million has been allocated to Finland by the European Commission to create the bloc's first strategic reserve against chemical, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats for use by all member states. 

 "Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has confirmed the need to strengthen EU CBRN preparedness," Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said.  

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Update #1: EU sets up reserve in Finland to respond to nuclear and chemical threats (Reuters)  

Update #2: EU sets up ‘nuclear’ stockpile on Russian border (RT)  

WNU Editor: The EU is serious. they are spending €242 million to set this up. Is this a harbinger on what is to come?

We Are Returning To A Time When Nuclear Threats Were The Norm

Ivo Daalder, Politico: The deteriorating nuclear order  

We’re returning to a time when nuclear threats were the norm — and the world flirted with Armageddon. 

“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” 

So said the leaders of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States for the very first time, just five months ago. Today, however, the prospect of nuclear weapons use is perhaps greater than any time since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. 

Just weeks after co-signing the joint statement on preventing nuclear war, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war of aggression against a neighbor that had given up its nuclear weapons in return for Russia’s explicit assurance “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine [and] refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine.”  

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WNU Editor: I grew up during the Cold War. I am shaking my head to see what I thought was an era that had passed roaring back with threats of nuclear war and Armageddon.

Report: Hawaii Is Not Prepared For A Nuclear Missile Attack

Hawaii News Now: State report: Hawaii not prepared for missile attack threat

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii is not prepared to respond in the event a nuclear ballistic missile attack.

That's according to a comprehensive state report that looked at the false missile alert sent to all Hawaii phones on Jan. 13 and sought recommendations for preventing another false alarm — and bolstering preparedness for a threat that the state has stressed is unlikely but not impossible.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige and other officials presented the 31-page report at a news conference Tuesday, saying its 44 short- and long-term recommendations provide a road map for moving forward.

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WNU Editor: No one can ever be ready for a nuclear missile attack.

UN Report: The Risk Of 'Accidental' Nuclear War Is Growing

Patrick Tucker, Defense One: Risk of ‘Accidental’ Nuclear War Growing, UN Research Group Says

The warning comes as the Pentagon begins an extensive review of its nuclear arsenal.

On Sept., 26, 1983, shortly after midnight, the Soviet Oko nuclear early warning system detected five missiles launched from the United States and headed toward Moscow. Stanislav Petrov, a young lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Force, was the duty in the Serpukhov-15 bunker that housed the Oko command center. Petrov was the man in charge of alerting the soviets about a nuclear attack, which would trigger a retaliatory strike. He determined that the Oko had likely malfunctioned and the alarm was false. The Americans would not start World War III with a quintet of missiles (risking total annihilation.) It was a daring judgment call. He was, of course, right. As the U.S. prepares to undertake a new nuclear posture review to determine the future direction of the nation’s nuclear weapons, a report from a United Nations research institute warns that the risks of a catastrophic error — like the one that took place that early morning in 1983 — are growing, not shrinking. Next time, there may be no Lt. Col. Petrov in place to avoid a catastrophe.

On Monday, the U.S. Defense Department commenced a new, massive study into its nuclear weapons arsenal, looking at how weapons are kept, how the U.S. would use them in war and whether they present an intimidating enough threat to other countries not to attack us. The review was mandated by President Trump in a Jan 27, memo.

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Update: The risk of an 'accidental' nuclear war is higher than ever and 'when luck runs out, the results will be catastrophic', warns UN report (Daily Mail).

WNU Editor: UN's Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDR) report is here.

These Are The Nuclear Threats That No One Is Talking About

DF-31A nuclear missiles of the PLA Second Artillery Force participated in the National Day parade. China Military Report

Zachary Keck, National Interest: The 5 Most Dangerous Nuclear Threats No One Is Talking About

WNU Editor: Zachary Keck does make a good point in this analysis. The media focus is on countries like Iran and North Korea trying to develop a nuclear deterrent .... but it is the nuclear developments that are being pursued by established nuclear powers that have the real potential to significantly destabilize the status quo.

The New York City Region’s Emergency Agencies Are Practicing For A Nuclear Disaster

A 10-kiloton nuclear explosion would destroy most structures and kill everyone within the brown area (1/3 mile from the blast origin). Most of the people in the green area (3/4 mile) will be dead or seriously injured, and the blue area (1 mile from the blast center) will be consumed by fires and radiation. Nuclearterrorism.org

WNU Editor: This is disturbing .... Emergency Agencies Practice Response To Nuclear Explosion In Times Square (CBS New York).

My Comment: This is not the first time that CBS has a "nuclear explosion in the middle of New York City" story .... Nuclear Attack a Ticking Time Bomb, Experts Warn (CBS)

Russian Intelligence Chief: Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia

A nuclear-armed Iran, Pakistan and North Korea could potentially trigger regional chain reactions that ultimately threaten Russia's security. © RIA Novosti. Sergey Kazak

Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia -- RIA Novosti

A nuclear-armed Iran, Pakistan and North Korea could potentially trigger regional chain reactions that ultimately threaten Russia's security, the former director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, said.

“Even if Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are not Russian adversaries, their current and projected nuclear potential could destabilize the regional situation. It could trigger a chain reaction of proliferation (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) that gives rise to a new missile threat for Russia,” Trubnikov said in an article included in the digest for an international conference on missile defense in Moscow.

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My Comment: He is 100% right.