Turkey Too Dangerous for Nuke Storage: Van Hipp
There has been instability in Turkey for some time. On top of that, it has consistently been our most unreliable NATO ally. President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has been on a path towards authoritarian rule for several years.
He has survived nationwide protests, cracked down on the media, tried to stifle free speech by blocking access to social media a number of times and has orchestrated an effort to basically purge hundreds of jurists with Erdogan loyalists.
Last Friday’s failed coup attempt caught the United States and our European allies asleep, but it shouldn’t have. Underlying tensions have been festering for a while. Presently, some 6,000 people, including military and judicial officials, have been detained by the Erdogan Government.
Further, the Turkish President has called on the U.S. to extradite his former ally, moderate Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen.
In my book, “The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It,” I address the current situation of U.S. nuclear weapons in Turkey and the need to dismantle them. Let’s look at this from a historical perspective and in light of the failed coup attempt and the actions of the Turkish autocrat Erdogan.
As a holdover from the Cold War, the U.S. has approximately 200 non-strategic nuclear weapons deployed in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Reports put the number at close to 50 B-61 nuclear bombs housed in underground vaults at Incrilik Airbase in southeast Turkey.
Incrilik is an airbase used by both the Turkish Air Force and NATO. The B-61 nuclear bomb is a 700 lb. thermonuclear weapon with an explosive force of over 10 times of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
In the 1920s and 30s, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, led Turkey to be a modern, democratic and secular state, patterned after many countries in Western Europe.
Today, Turkey has a president who has long been active in Islamist circles. Erdogan, a Sunni Muslim, was active in the fundamentalist Welfare Party.
In my book, “The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It,” I address the current situation of U.S. nuclear weapons in Turkey and the need to dismantle them. Let’s look at this from a historical perspective and in light of the failed coup attempt and the actions of the Turkish autocrat Erdogan.
As a holdover from the Cold War, the U.S. has approximately 200 non-strategic nuclear weapons deployed in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Reports put the number at close to 50 B-61 nuclear bombs housed in underground vaults at Incrilik Airbase in southeast Turkey.
Incrilik is an airbase used by both the Turkish Air Force and NATO. The B-61 nuclear bomb is a 700 lb. thermonuclear weapon with an explosive force of over 10 times of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
In the 1920s and 30s, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, led Turkey to be a modern, democratic and secular state, patterned after many countries in Western Europe.
Today, Turkey has a president who has long been active in Islamist circles. Erdogan, a Sunni Muslim, was active in the fundamentalist Welfare Party.
In the late 1990s, the Welfare Party was banned by Turkey’s highest court for violating the separation of religion and state, as required by the Turkish Constitution. In 2001, Erdogan established his own Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The AKP is an Islamist party. In domestic policy, Erdogan and his AKP have attempted to reverse much of the secular legacy of Ataturk. In foreign affairs, to say Erdogan’s Turkey has been an unreliable NATO ally is an understatement.
The AKP is an Islamist party. In domestic policy, Erdogan and his AKP have attempted to reverse much of the secular legacy of Ataturk. In foreign affairs, to say Erdogan’s Turkey has been an unreliable NATO ally is an understatement.
In 2012, his government provided Iran with identities of Iranians who were meeting with Israeli intelligence agents in Turkey. The information was related to Iran’s nuclear program.
This weekend, following the coup attempt, Erdogan’s government cut power to the Incrilik Airbase and local authorities halted all movements onto and off of the base. The base commander, Gen. Bekir Ercan Van, was arrested for allegedly being involved in the coup attempt.
The Erdogan government also temporarily prohibited all U.S. Air Force planes stationed there from taking off and landing.
All of this brings me to the question, Why does the United States still have close to 50 nuclear bombs in Turkey? Our nuclear weapons should be prepositioned off of American soil only in those countries that are strong, reliable and stable allies. Turkey, in the present environment and under the Erdogan regime, does not fit this criteria.
The 9/11 Commission Report said that 9/11, above else, was a failure of imagination.
This weekend, following the coup attempt, Erdogan’s government cut power to the Incrilik Airbase and local authorities halted all movements onto and off of the base. The base commander, Gen. Bekir Ercan Van, was arrested for allegedly being involved in the coup attempt.
The Erdogan government also temporarily prohibited all U.S. Air Force planes stationed there from taking off and landing.
All of this brings me to the question, Why does the United States still have close to 50 nuclear bombs in Turkey? Our nuclear weapons should be prepositioned off of American soil only in those countries that are strong, reliable and stable allies. Turkey, in the present environment and under the Erdogan regime, does not fit this criteria.
The 9/11 Commission Report said that 9/11, above else, was a failure of imagination.
Well, you don’t need imagination or outside the box thinking to know and understand that housing U.S. nuclear weapons in Turkey today is a bad idea. All you need is old-fashioned common sense, something unfortunately that our government lacks more and more of in a post 9/11 environment with terrorism, turmoil and strife all around us.
It’s time, no it’s way past time, to dismantle all of our nuclear weapons in Turkey and get them out of there now.
Van Hipp is chairman of American Defense International, Inc. (ADI), a Washington, D.C. consulting firm. He is former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, and served on the Presidential Electoral College in 1988. He is the author of “The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It.” To read more of his reports, Go Here Now.
It’s time, no it’s way past time, to dismantle all of our nuclear weapons in Turkey and get them out of there now.
Van Hipp is chairman of American Defense International, Inc. (ADI), a Washington, D.C. consulting firm. He is former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, and served on the Presidential Electoral College in 1988. He is the author of “The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It.” To read more of his reports, Go Here Now.
Pingback: Turkey Too Dangerous for Nuke Storage: Van Hipp | Untruth
ok people i can not document all the different kinds of stupid that we have right at this moment in time but what i can tell you is that islam is islam the difference btween the the radicals and the moderates is that the moderates fund hide and give money to the radicals…..so if anyone does not understand a muzloid is a muzloid and they want to kill you if you are a man so that they may rape your women and children is this clear enough……..
AND just where in the middle east or europe would nuclear weapons be safe?considering they all have been burned to the ground by the lieing whores in washington DC,..THEY all hate the whore who sits on the beast,and thats the leader of america, OBOOZO the killer from who knows where,WE do know what the LORD calls him ,THE SON OF PERDITION,THERE IS A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM…..BRING ALL THE US MILITARY TROOPS “HOME” AND do something america has NEVER done before MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS,pull your nose out of the worlds ass…and mind your own business america…and TAKE CARE OF OUR PROBLEMS here in america………..
Not only B61’s but very certainly ALCM W80 cruise missiles.
There is something too convenient, too 9/11-ey about the whole deal about what went down in Turkey, AND the fact that Incrilik airbase is blockaded, AND that 42 helicopters disappeared, AND the US stores B-61 nuclear bombs at the base. Wouldn’t be surprised if that whole thing runs an unfortunate course to a disastrous end.
What would Obama do? He would surrender.
TREASON
“Turkey Too Dangerous for Nuke Storage” Absolutely right! However, I have a bad bad feeling that’s been designed into this staged coup by WH/CIA et al Those nukes should have been taken out of there in the last 48 hours period. The globalists are fuc*ing insane.
Here we have Turkey with our nukes and it wouldn’t take much for Iran to run up to Turkey and take our nukes. Can you invision what kind of threat to anyone in the area or it being used against us. Remember what Rev. says that mystery Babylon would be destroyed in one hour. And I hope everyone is smart enough to know that WE are the mystery Babylon in the bible. We have to get them out of there now.!! And the thing is with obama in office, oh brother. –muslim and islam over there. And him being friendly with that guy——add it up ———omg. i see disaster.!!!
Pingback: Intelwars2 – July 20 & 21, 2016 – *Breaking News Headlines!* The Constitution – The Bill of Rights – And The Ten Commandments Are Under Assault! 24 Hour Emergency Broadcast Lines! (512) 646 – 5000 or (605) 562 – 7701. For Tomorrows News, T
I could see the turks overtaking the base, arresting the Americans and taking the nukes. What should scare people is that Kerry and Obamby think this is nothing but a dispute over a bar tab.