You technically could build a nuke with enough enriched uranium. The recipe for a nuke is literally:
take half of the amount of the enriched uranium required
smash the other half into it
boom, Hiroshima.
You need a particular kind of nuclear reactor to create the enriched uranium, though. But for example in Ukraine, the Chornobyl reactor was built exactly for that.
That said, the US, the UK and France are the only three NATO countries allowed under international agreement to build nukes.
You need a particular kind of nuclear reactor to create the enriched uranium
*plutonium. Enriched uranium comes from taking natural uranium and enriching the content of a specific isotope (235U), typically with centrifuges, gaseous diffusion and/or magnetic separation in a synchrotron. The enriched uranium can be used in a weapon, or it can be used as fuel for a nuclear reactor to make 239Pu from 238U.
It’s funny, after the breakup of USSR there existed for a few years such an entity as “CIS armed forces”. It does not anymore because national governments want to control their own militaries.
National governments don’t give a fuck about their own armies until they need them. Ironically, most CIS countries needed their armies to defend against Russia.
EU countries can not wage wars against one other, armies or not, as everyone knows that the whole bloc’s economy would crash instantly as soon as we stopped trading. If German tanks rolled across France again, their crews would starve, as would the French defenders before they could kill each other.
The only reasonable use for an army in modern Europe beyond imperialistic outings with the US to countries who deserve better is to defend against Russia (and maybe China).
There is still the Fr*nch sub’s that Macron just offered to be a shared EU resource.
France and the US are the only two NATO countries able to build nukes.
Theoretically the UK are able to build nukes too but not without US support.
The Montebello Islands disagree.
You technically could build a nuke with enough enriched uranium. The recipe for a nuke is literally:
You need a particular kind of nuclear reactor to create the enriched uranium, though. But for example in Ukraine, the Chornobyl reactor was built exactly for that.
That said, the US, the UK and France are the only three NATO countries allowed under international agreement to build nukes.
*plutonium. Enriched uranium comes from taking natural uranium and enriching the content of a specific isotope (235U), typically with centrifuges, gaseous diffusion and/or magnetic separation in a synchrotron. The enriched uranium can be used in a weapon, or it can be used as fuel for a nuclear reactor to make 239Pu from 238U.
Thanks, my nuclear chemistry was a bit rusty.
And what happens if Le Pen wins the next election?
About the same thing as if the AfD does.
We get fucked, my friend. And that’s why establishing a shared EU army to pass the nukes to would be good for everyone.
It’s funny, after the breakup of USSR there existed for a few years such an entity as “CIS armed forces”. It does not anymore because national governments want to control their own militaries.
National governments don’t give a fuck about their own armies until they need them. Ironically, most CIS countries needed their armies to defend against Russia.
EU countries can not wage wars against one other, armies or not, as everyone knows that the whole bloc’s economy would crash instantly as soon as we stopped trading. If German tanks rolled across France again, their crews would starve, as would the French defenders before they could kill each other.
The only reasonable use for an army in modern Europe beyond imperialistic outings with the US to countries who deserve better is to defend against Russia (and maybe China).