Nuclear Bunker-Buster scrapped

[theim]

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg18825243.500.html

US abandons nuclear bunker-buster research

AFTER months of wrangling, the US has abandoned controversial plans to research nuclear "bunker busters". The Bush administration had been eager to study such weapons, designed to penetrate deep into the ground and detonate a nuclear warhead.

Proponents of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) said it would allow US forces to destroy buried weapons dumps and communication centres. They also argued that underground nuclear explosions would produce less fallout than surface or airborne ones. But critics of the project said it would be hard to devise a weapon that would burrow far enough to contain the nuclear explosion.

Now the National Nuclear Security Administration, responsible for developing and maintaining US nuclear stockpiles, has asked for the RNEP project to be scrapped, and on 26 October the Bush administration decided to stop funding it.

"I am relieved that the administration has abandoned this irresponsible and dangerous path," says representative Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat. "Developing new nuclear bunker busters would undermine decades of United States leadership aimed at preventing non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear weapons and encouraging nuclear states to reduce stockpiles."

The Pentagon will now focus on developing an earth-penetrating bomb with a conventional warhead.

I feel like throwing up. Typical Dhimmirat. How the hell would that "undermine" efforts to prevent Iran and co. from going nuclear? The only way it can undermine it is if you subscribe to the veiw held by the likes of bin Laden and Ahmadinejad that if America gets nukes, why can't the psychotic Iranian despots? What's really "undermining" our efforts in Iran is pacifist imbeciles like you. But it's not really about the nukes. Or maybe it is, I don't know. It just kind bugs me.

 

[nosarcasm]

the next use of nuclear weapons by whomever will lead to a rush by
dozens of nations to have their own retaliatory nuke in stock.

With the continued outsourcing of western manufacturing to third world
countries it is inevitable that at some point of time all these despots
can build the bomb.

The descision to not build a nuclear bunker buster has two reasons.

First not to accelerate the spread of nukes
And second the realization that conventional bunker buster have a similar
effectivness.

 

[Annie]

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg18825243.500.html



I feel like throwing up. Typical Dhimmirat. How the hell would that "undermine" efforts to prevent Iran and co. from going nuclear? The only way it can undermine it is if you subscribe to the veiw held by the likes of bin Laden and Ahmadinejad that if America gets nukes, why can't the psychotic Iranian despots? What's really "undermining" our efforts in Iran is pacifist imbeciles like you. But it's not really about the nukes. Or maybe it is, I don't know. It just kind bugs me.

If true, I agree. We need to be able to do this. Iran and N. Korea spring to mind.

 

[dilloduck]

the next use of nuclear weapons by whomever will lead to a rush by
dozens of nations to have their own retaliatory nuke in stock.

With the continued outsourcing of western manufacturing to third world
countries it is inevitable that at some point of time all these despots
can build the bomb.

The descision to not build a nuclear bunker buster has two reasons.

First not to accelerate the spread of nukes
And second the realization that conventional bunker buster have a similar
effectivness.

I thought every despot worth his salt was looking for nukes already. And they could care less if it explodes in the air or underground.