Useful Fools

According to the Guardian, quoting classified papers obtained by activists (traitors?) in the US, the Bush Administration is discussing a new generation of nuclear weapons, including “mini-nukes,” “bunker-busters” and “neutron bombs.”

It’s about time! We need to take advantage of new technology and adjust to new conditions with our entire military structure, including our nuclear arsenal. There are situations where a nuclear weapon is the right choice. And nuclear weapons are not necessarily as horrible as people have been led to think.

Neutron bombs (technically “Enhanced Radiation Weapons”) are especially useful, because they have a relatively small area of blast damage, no local radioactive fallout, and are very effective against both troop concentrations (including armor) and biological warfare agents. The peace genius, Jimmy Carter, stopped their development exactly because they were so innocuous. He didn’t want us to have a weapon that we might actually use!

Bunker-busters are more problematic, since it is difficult to prevent radioactive fallout from them, but other reports have indiciated that these may be extremely low yield, in which case the radioactive vapor and debris cloud may not rise very high, limiting the fallout to a small area. And of course a highly efficient (fourth generation) low yield weapon won’t have that much radioactive material to start with.

One thing not mentioned is nuclear warheads for our ballistic missile defense system. Unless there are some amazing and well kept secrets, it is pretty clear to this engineer that the current hit-to-kill system won’t work!

There is a reason that former US systems, and the current Russian system used nuclear explosions to destroy or disable incoming warheads. Only politics (oohh! eeehhh! its Nucular!) keeps us from putting effective warheads on our interceptors.

The usual whiners complain that this new work might disrupt the nuclear test ban treaty.

A hint to them: we are not a signatory to any treaty preventing underground nuclear testing! We stopped unilaterally.

Another hint: the treaty so far has not worked very well so far, as evidenced by it’s failure to prevent Pakistan and India from obtaining and testing nukes. Not to mention that there is evidence that Israel with South Africa tested a nuke in the Indian Ocean.

Heaven forbid that we should break the nuclear testing taboo - the Belgians might test a nuke! Eeeek!