Posted on 02/17/2005 12:15:19 PM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers this week pressed U.S. defense officials to explain why the military would need a new earth-penetrating nuclear weapon, which has been under evaluation in a program favored by the Bush administration (see GSN, Feb. 4).
The administration has requested $8.5 million in fiscal 2006 funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator program to continue a study of whether an upgraded, existing nuclear weapon might be capable of plowing more deeply through rock prior to a nuclear explosion.
The money would enable a first drop test by the Air Force next year of the hardened weapon, without a nuclear explosion.
Bipartisan opposition to the program was sufficient to eliminate funding for the program for the current fiscal year. A key Republican lawmaker questioned whether the senior military leadership believes there is a military need — reflected in a formally stated military requirement — for whatever new capability the weapon might offer.
No one at the Defense or Energy departments has “ever articulated to me a specific military requirement for a nuclear earth penetrator,” Representative Dave Hobson (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, said in a speech this month.
No Formal Requirement
So far, military leaders have not publicly indicated a formal military requirement for a modified weapon.
“A formal military requirement for the nuclear bunker buster would give the program additional forward momentum. It brings the bomb closer to reality,” said Council for a Livable World President John Isaacs.
A Republican legislator yesterday asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to detail such a requirement.
“Could you please tell me directly if there’s a military need for this robust nuclear earth penetrator?” asked Representative Terry Everett (R-Ala.) at a Defense Department budget hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers responded that the combatant commander responsible for worrying about deeply buried targets “certainly thinks there’s a need for this study,” and also endorsed that view.
“It’s not a commitment to go forward with a system, it’s just to see if it’s feasible,” he said.
Rumsfeld said “there is a need for the study — which is what we’re talking about here, and not a weapon.”
He offered, though, the administration’s rationale for pursuing such a capability, though, saying new commercial technology has enabled other countries to bury facilities by “digging underground, in rock, twice the height of a basketball net and the full length of a basketball court every day in rock.”
Countries “all across the globe are putting things underground, and we have no capability, conventional or nuclear, to deal with the issue of deep penetrat[ion],” Rumsfeld said.
Rumsfeld in January reportedly sent a letter to then Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham urging funding for continuing the earth-penetrator study (see GSN, Feb. 1).
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) at a hearing on Tuesday asked Abraham’s replacement, Samuel Bodman, to provide the committee the administration’s justification for the program (see GSN, Feb. 16).
Administration Seeks Weapon
The administration first signaled an interest in a new earth-penetrating capability in its 2002 Nuclear Posture Review.
A deeper digging nuclear weapon, Pentagon officials have argued, could provide the United States a better capability to strike deeply buried, hardened underground bunkers and potentially create less surface destruction by using a small nuclear yield.
Congressional opponents and independent critics of the effort have argued that no weapon is likely to plow deep enough to significantly contain a blast; that such a weapon would be unlikely to be used because it would create massive surface destruction and fallout on populated areas; and that the program undermines efforts to strengthen international nonproliferation cooperation.
The administration last year projected a five-year, $485 million budget for the earth-penetrator program if Congress authorizes moving past the study phase into full research and development.
U.S. Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) suggested that North Korean officials during his recent visit to Pyongyang expressed concern about the United States obtaining a more capable nuclear earth penetrator.
“The North Koreans were very intrigued by the notion that we were looking to pursue a deep-earth penetrator to get at their underground complexes,” he said during yesterday’s briefing.
Kim Jong-Il, take note.
"U.S. Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) suggested that North Korean officials during his recent visit to Pyongyang expressed concern about the United States obtaining a more capable nuclear earth penetrator. "
Deterrant to N.Korea. They will soon be unable to hide underground. HAARP can see you underground, and bunker busting nukes can kill you. Once they realize their facilities are about as safe as the fort you used to make with your mom's sofa cushions we can then ask them "Now, are you ready to play nice?"
David Hobson is an absolute fool.
“Could you please tell me directly if there’s a military need for this robust nuclear earth penetrator?” asked Representative Terry Everett (R-Ala.) at a Defense Department budget hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.I suppose the question needs to be asked...if you're dumb as a bag of hammers.
From the looks of it, HAARP can do more than see you underground, in fact it looks to lil-o-me that bunker busters arn't needed with HAARP in our corner.
Ah, HAARP - one of my guilty pleasures. Somewhere between being able to crack the earth in half and merely studying the Aurora Borealis, the truth lies. And since it brings out the conspiracy theory guys like ants to a picnic it's a barrel o' fun too!
Tinfoil hats ON!!
And when it's all over they can grow 50lb carrots there!
I wouldn't imagine we would pop even an underground nuke without an attempted nuke strike on ourselves or an ally first - and then the gloves may come off anyway.
But you're right - we would probably be less concerned with tattooing an area with multiple strikes knowing that most fallout would be contained.
LOL!!!
You could also fill the resulting depression in the ground with water and have 250lb catfish!
This ought to give the Chinese and Russians the willies as they buried all their command and control stuff deep enough to resist an air burst. This completely changes the rules.
I say we should be the firstest with the mostest.
Best Regards
Sergio
Notice to all burrowing rodents:
Farmer McGregor is working with some new tools. You've been warned.
Gee. Is this anything like Dr. Science's "magic mole machine" ?
Cheers!
err....then you've already conducted a study. May we have a copy? It sure would save us a lot of time and money.
Cobalt Thorium G, then ?
Hmmm, and I think I've seen Soros surpressing a Seig Heil! too. You might be on to something.
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