NATO’s U.S.-led nuclear sharing relies on B-61 gravity nuclear bombs, designed in the 1960s to stop Soviet tank divisions sprinting from East Germany. They have become increasingly obsolete in a modern war—and pose a limited threat to the Russian homeland given advances in Russian air defenses. France’s ASMP-A nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on Rafales, by contrast, are designed to strike Russia’s main cities and have a high chance of reaching their targets, creating an entirely different level of deterrence. The very nature of French nuclear doctrine and its nuclear arsenal makes it in some ways more threatening to Russia, said Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Russia and nuclear affairs at Sciences Po university in Paris. “The B-61 bombs are not instruments for war fighting, they’re pretty much instruments of political assurance,” she said. “The French nuclear arsenal, by contrast, can reach Russia.” @NicoleGrajewski wsj.com/world/europe/frances…