Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the eastern part of Ukraine and Russian forces already stationed on the border attacked Ukraine.
Russia is the largest country in the world by size and Ukraine is the 45th largest country.
Russia does not want Ukraine to be made a member of NATO and that NATO forces should not be deployed in the countries of the East. But Ukraine wants to increase cooperation with NATO to become a member.
The United Nations and Western countries strongly condemned Russia and imposed severe economic sanctions on it. NATO increased military presence in its member countries around Russia and said that Ukraine has every right to defend itself.
After this, on 27 February, the Russian President ordered his nuclear weapons to be placed on 'special alert', saying this.
Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. In such a situation, experts believe that a global crisis can arise from Russia's announcement. However, apart from Russia, many other countries including America, China, and Britain also have nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons are called weapons of destruction. In such a situation, it is natural to increase tension with the announcement of Russia. However, apart from Russia, many other countries including America, China, and Britain also have such weapons.
But the big question is, what are the protocols regarding the use of nuclear weapons? Who has the keys to the stockpile of these weapons of destruction? Who can press the nuclear weapons button in Russia, America, China, and Britain?
America: Nuclear Football
Bruce Blau was a former US missile launch officer. He is no longer in this world. In the seventies, he worked on America's intelligence nuclear missile bases.
Bruce Blau said, "We were called Minutemen. That's because if ordered, we could launch a nuclear missile within a minute."
Bruce and his companions used to monitor the computer monitor at all times, on which the order to launch the missile could come at any time. He says, "Only one person can order the use of nuclear weapons in the American system and that is the President of the country."
"That's why there are certain people with the US President all the time. They have a briefcase called the Nuclear Football."
This black-colored leather briefcase is very simple in appearance. But there is special equipment inside it, through which the President can talk to his senior advisers and some other very important people at any time.
Bruce Blau says, "This briefcase also has a cartoon book-like page, which details the war plan, nuclear missiles, and their targets through graphics. It also details how many people would be killed if the attack happened. The President has to understand these things in the blink of an eye."
A report by the Federation of American Scientists states that according to an estimate, by the beginning of 2022, 9 countries of the world have about 12,700 nuclear missiles. Most of these are with Russia and America is at number two in this matter. It has more than five thousand such missiles.
According to the report, Russia has 5977, America has 5428, China has 350, France has 290, Britain has 225, Pakistan has 165, India has 160, Israel has 90 and North Korea has 20 nuclear missiles. Huh.
The process of launching missiles in America begins with the Pentagon War Room, but for this, the War Room needs the President's order.
But the President's order is also considered when he gives his special identity to the Missile Launch Officer and this identity is in a biscuit-like plastic card.
The President always has to keep this card with him. This is the card due to which the US President is called the most powerful person in the world. A nuclear missile can be launched within a few minutes after getting approval from the President.
Bruce Blau said, "After receiving the President's order, the Minuteman, that is, the missiles deployed on the ground, or the missiles deployed in the submarine, are opened with the launch code and prepared for attack. According to Bruce Blau, to launch a nuclear missile at any given time, two people are needed, who give their respective codes. In a way, these two people are the keys to the missile launch.
He told, "There was a time in my entire career when it seemed that a nuclear war would break out. Then I was young and I had no idea what was happening in the world. ) Received alert to get ready for nuclear war."
Bruce and his colleague Timothy sat on the chair carrying the launch code of the missile, ie the key. He was waiting for the final decree of the missile launch, but it was a matter of relief that it never came.
It was in the year 1973 when Arabs and Israel were faces to face on the battlefield. It was a relief that the use of nuclear weapons did not happen. Earlier in the 1960s, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US and Soviet Union had reached very close to nuclear war.
But can the US President order the launch of a nuclear missile on his behalf without any threat or provocation?
Bruce Blau said, "In such a situation, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee can refuse to obey this order. But, this is very unlikely to happen because such people working under the President have been trained to obey the order." So if a President orders the launch of a nuclear missile on his behalf, then believe me it is very difficult to stop it.
Russia: Nuclear Briefcase
Igor Szegen is a weapons expert. He is a resident of Russia and once used to work for the government there.
In 1999, Russia accused him of giving military intelligence to a company in London. Igor pleaded innocence but was imprisoned for 11 years. He was released from prison in 2010, after which he decided to settle in London. He is now a Senior Fellow at the British defense think tank Russian.
Igor explains, "Like nuclear football in America, the President of Russia also has a nuclear briefcase with codes for nuclear missiles. This briefcase is always around the president. Even when he sleeps, he is within 10-20 meters of him. When an attack on Russia is imminent, the briefcase alarm sounds and the flashlights go on, allowing the President to immediately approach the briefcase and contact the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister.
Two such briefcases are with the Russian Prime Minister and the Russian Defense Minister, but only the President can order a nuclear attack.
Igor explains, "He is the Supreme Commander, this briefcase is his responsibility. In an emergency, he can talk to the commanders of the army and the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister through this briefcase, he does not need any telephone."
Such an occasion came only once when the President of Russia had to activate this briefcase by opening it.
Igor explains, "On January 25, 1995, the alarm for this briefcase was raised. Its light started flashing. The second warning light was on on the president's desk. Boris Yeltsin was the president at that time."
Russian radars had spotted a missile over the Barents Sea near the border, which was moving rapidly towards Russia and the time was short.
Igor explains, "Boris Yeltsin activated his briefcase. He was consulting with the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister what to do now and for this, he had only five to nine minutes."
Russian submarines were ordered to be ready to strike back.
However, later it was found that this warning alarm was a false alarm. It was a rocket from Norway, which was released on a scientific mission. Mistaking this rocket as a missile coming towards Russia, the alarm of the attack was sounded.
If Boris Yeltsin had ordered the launch of nuclear missiles at that time, many new pages would have been added to the history of the war. Igor says, "In Russia, drills are often conducted to find out how solid the preparations for missile launches are.". Sometimes missile watchers are asked to prepare for an attack by giving them wrong launch codes. This is done to test whether they would hesitate to launch a nuclear attack in the event of a real war.
Like America, it has been ensured in the Russian system that if the President orders a nuclear attack, then the attack will happen.
Britain: Last Resort Letter
Professor Peter Hennessy is the co-author of the book 'The Silent Deep'. He says that the British Army has four of the best submarines equipped with Trident nuclear missiles, one of which is always stationed in the North Atlantic Ocean, it can launch a nuclear attack with just a signal.
He says, "In the silent depths of the North Atlantic, there is a submarine somewhere all the time, whose presence no one is aware of. No one can even know about it."
Professor Peter says, "Only the Prime Minister can order the launch of nuclear missiles in the British system. On one of his orders, the Royal Navy can launch a nuclear attack from the Vanguard-class submarine."
For this, the British Prime Minister tells two officers of the Navy a special code of missile launch. Both those officers also have special codes, they also tell their codes.
This code giving process is done in a bunker located outside London. From here the order to launch the nuclear missile is issued to the submarine stationed in the ocean.
Professor Peter Hennessy explains, "Even in a submarine, two officers receive these messages wirelessly and then prepare for missile launch by matching their respective codes."
There are two types of atomic bombs-
The first fission bombs in which nuclear fission is used. In this, when a neutron collides with an atom, it splits the atom into two pieces. A large amount of energy and light is produced in this process.
Second thermonuclear or hydrogen bombs in which nuclear fusion is used. In this, at extremely high temperatures, isotopes of hydrogen combine to form helium and in this process, energy and light are produced.
Professor Peter is one of the few who got a chance to see the missile test fire from the submarine.
He says, "The captain showed some white smoke and then a ball of gas ran quickly in the sea. Within a few seconds, there was a very loud explosion. A huge cloud of gas appeared on the seawater. It was all very big. It happened dramatically. It was as if a monster had come out from the depths of the ocean."
Launching a nuclear missile means the destruction of the enemy, so this work is done with great responsibility.
Professor Peter Hennessy says, "When someone becomes Prime Minister in Britain, he writes letters with his own hands to four submarines with nuclear missiles. This letter is called 'Letter of Last Resort'. This letter is kept in the vault of the submarine. According to protocol, it is to be read-only when Britain has been destroyed in an attack."
No one knows yet what order has been written for the commander of the submarine in the Letter of Last Resort.
When the Prime Minister changes in Britain, this letter is destroyed without opening, without reading. And every new prime minister writes a new letter to the commander for the submarine. This trend continues in Britain for years.
China: Deep Tunnels
Tong Jao is a Fellow at the Carnegie Chichanhua Center for Global Policy in Beijing. They say that this is the most serious issue that we humans are facing. Nuclear weapons and nuclear war are directly related to the existence of human beings.
He says, "There have been many occasions in history when we came very close to nuclear war and the whole human race was threatened."
China is one of those countries in the world that have the power of nuclear weapons but its policy is not to attack first.
Tong Jao believes that there is a big reason behind this and that is that China cannot yet detect a possible nuclear attack against it in advance.
He says, "China will wait and first confirm whether a nuclear attack has happened. On confirmation, it will take stock of the situation, try to understand what kind of attack is and how big it is. Only then it will consider whether What are the options for retaliatory action?
But if all the big leaders and military commanders of China are killed in an attack or China's nuclear missile is destroyed in an enemy attack, then what will be the option for China in such a situation?
According to Tong, "China has already made a lot of preparations to avoid the destruction of its leaders and its nuclear missiles in the attack. It has built a network of deep tunnels for this. Some tunnels are hundreds of tunnels under the ground in mountainous areas. Remains at a depth of one hundred meters.
This means that when the smoke of war is rising on the ground, the leaders present in the deep tunnels under the ground will be taking important decisions. But in whose hands is the final decision of the nuclear attack in China?
Tong Jao explains that "all these are confidential things, but people believe that what the military will do in China is decided by the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party. The final decision will be of the committee or the President, no one knows."
One more thing to note in the case of China. Experts believe that it may be silent for several weeks or months after a nuclear attack on itself and then retaliate because from the beginning China has been opposed to the Western policy of attack first.
Tong Jao says, "When China acquired the power of nuclear weapons, its leader Mao Zedong decided that China would become a responsible country in this matter. Its leaders understood very well what happened in Hiroshima-Nagasaki at that time. "
But that was then. The attitude of China is changing now. The thinking of western countries is also affecting it. In 2015, China permanently included the branch working on nuclear and conventional missiles on the ground and renamed it the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. Like many other countries, it is also working on hypersonic technology and is trying to increase its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Tong Jao says, "Some experts want that the President of China, like the Presidents of America or Russia, should also have the authority to order a nuclear attack so that he can order an attack in advance after seeing the possibility of an enemy attack. This is the reason why China is developing powerful radars and making long-range missiles these days.
Experts believe that it may be that in the next few years, China may also change its policy of no first use regarding the nuclear attack.
Economy: Stupid comparing the economic situation of Sri Lanka with India, said Anil Panagariya
Former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya says that it is foolish to compare the economic
The third and deciding match of the India-Sri Lanka T20 series will be played at the Saurashtra C
The US Federal Investigation Agency (FBI) has uncovered a major cryptocurrency theft by North Kor
Corona infection is once again raising its head in the country. For the last few days, there is a
Had the system been alerted 47 years in advance about the landslide happening in Joshimath town o
Air India New Logo: Air India released its new logo and design, the name is - The Vista
Tata Group-owned airline Air India on Thursday unveiled its new logo and design. Air India retain
Crude Oil Price Today: There may be news of relief for India in the coming days. Common people ca
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to declare the his
Now buying property in the capital of the country will become expensive. The reason for this is t
The White House, the residence and office of the US President, announced on Tuesday that US Natio
