United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, center, attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)The chief of NATO says the alliance will hold a major nuclear exercise next weekBRUSSELS -- BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO will hold a major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance's chief said Thursday, an announcement that came after Russia warned it would pull out of a global nuclear test ban agreement. It will involve 13 NATO allies and a mix of aircraft types, including advanced fighter jets and U.S. B-52 bombers that will fly in from the United States. It was signed by both the Russian and U.S. presidents but was never ratified by the United States. Three allied nations — the United States, the United Kingdom and France — are nuclear powers.

Source: ABC News October 12, 2023 17:47 UTC