The United States is preparing to put nuclear bomber planes on 24-hour alert for the first time since the Cold War, according to a statement by a senior Air Force Official.
The planes would be loaded with nuclear weapons and could soon be readied to launch within a day's notice, meaning that tensions between the country and North Korea have hit a new, scary height.
Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein, said that US military leaders are being forced to adapt to the global situation that the country currently finds itself in. Speaking to the national security news website,
Defense One, he said: "The world is a dangerous place and we’ve got folks that are talking openly about use of nuclear weapons."
Tensions between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the USA President Donald Trump has escalated in recent months, with both countries trading insults with each other.
Goldfein assured the public that a definite order had not yet been put in place but said that they were preparing in anticipation of what could happen.
"This is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared. I look at it more as not planning for any specific event, but more for the reality of the global situation we find ourselves in and how we ensure we’re prepared going forward. It’s no longer a bipolar world where it’s just us and the Soviet Union. We’ve got other players out there who have nuclear capability. It’s never been more important to make sure that we get this mission right."
This news comes following remarks made by CIA director Mike Pompeo who told security officials in the US not to ask him about Kim Jong-un's death if he "should vanish."
The statement from Pompeo comes only a few days after North Korea stated that nuclear war could break out at any given moment and that the planned removal of their "supreme leadership" by the US was more dangerous than a nuclear war.
