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President
Pursues Controversial Nuclear Weapons Technology |
Posted:
02.09.05
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With the release of President Bush's budget Monday lawmakers
will once again debate whether to fund a controversial research
program designed to create nuclear weapons that can penetrate
and destroy underground targets.
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Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld wants Congress to restore funding to determine if an existing
nuclear warhead could be fitted with a hardened casing to boost
its ability to hit underground targets. The research is necessary,
he argues, to protect the United States from countries that are
developing and storing weapons of mass destruction underground.
 The
key Republican who blocked the funding for the Robust Nuclear
Earth Penetrator (RNEP) last year has said that he may support
it this year.
Republican David Hobson of Ohio, chairman of the House subcommittee
that oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, said he hoped
to spark a dialogue on nuclear weapons' role in national security.
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What are
'bunker busters'? |
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RNEPs -- aka "bunker busters" -- are nuclear bombs
with hard shells that can theoretically penetrate hundreds of
feet into the ground. The idea is to limit the amount of damage
done above ground by sending a bomb through rock, steel or concrete
before detonating.
Current warheads can only tunnel up to 30 feet and have never
been tested, FOX News reported. In order to destroy a target buried
more than 1,000 feet, a bomb that can only burrow several hundred
feet would require an explosion ten times greater than that of
the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
The U.S. Defense Department says countries like North Korea and
Iran, suspected of pursuing nuclear weapons programs, are protecting
military assets by hiding them underground in fortified bunkers.
There are currently at least 10,000 bunkers in over 70 countries,
according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.
"We can't necessarily match Cold War weapons to the new
threats. We have to adapt capabilities that we have to meet the
threats," said Major Paul Swiergosz, a department spokesman.
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Critics |
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But critics warn that pursuing new nuclear bomb technologies
could hinder international nonproliferation efforts.
 "You
can't tell everyone 'don't touch nuclear weapons' while continuing
to build them," International Atomic Energy Agency Director
Mohamed ElBaradei told The Washington Post.
Two Democratic House members, Edward Markey of Massachusetts
and Ellen Tauscher of California, are also critical of the Defense
Department's plan.
Tauscher said the request is "a waste of money on a weapon
commanders in the field have not asked for, is of highly questionable
utility, and may trigger a new global nuclear arms race."
"The Bush budget request for new nuclear weapons will face
tough scrutiny by the Congress and I am hopeful that these requests
will again be rejected," Markey said in a statement.
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A call for
dialogue |
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Congressman Hobson, who directed last year's funds to programs
focusing on ways to improve the reliability and lifespan of existing
warheads to avoid new tests, was initially against the idea.
 "When
we want countries such as Iran and North Korea to abandon nuclear
weapons development, it is hypocritical for the United States
to embark on new weapons and testing initiatives," Hobson
said in the Washington Times newspaper.
But in a recent speech, he described himself as open-minded,
saying that if the Defense Department can convince him that the
programs are critical for the safety and protection of the United
States, he may reconsider.
"What I'm calling for is a dialogue," he said.
--Compiled
by Annie Schleicher for NewsHour Extra
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