UPI April 27, 2005
Rumsfeld defends new nuke request
Washington, DC, Apr. 27 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended an $8 million Pentagon request to study a new class of nuclear weapon Wednesday.
The robust earth-penetrator weapon study would evaluate whether encasing existing small yield nuclear weapons in hardened shells would allow them to destroy deeply buried underground military and missile facilities, such as those built by North Korea.
"It seems to me studying it makes all the sense in the world," Rumsfeld told the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The subject is especially controversial because the United States opposes the development of new nuclear weapons by other countries. Congress denied a similar Pentagon request last year.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, a technical analysis conducted at the Nevada Test Site showed a weapon with a 10-kiloton yield would have to be buried 850 feet before detonation to prevent the spread of radioactive debris. The depth of penetration is limited by the strength of the missile casing. Current weapons can penetrate only 30 feet of rock before detonating.
© Copyright 2005, United Press International
