Arms-control types are alarmed that the DoD would actually consider developing a new weapons system, rather than just "study" it. Personally, I like the idea of a precise, burrowing nuclear weapon -- just the thing to convince various despots to come out with their hands up... when the time comes.
A Bush administration program to study a controversial new earth-penetrating nuclear weapon is much more ambitious than previously indicated, according to a congressional analysis released Monday.Posted by Alan at March 10, 2004 09:02 PMA report by the Congressional Research Service says the Energy Department’s Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) program is projected to proceed beyond the study phase and cost as much as $485 million over the next five years.
Furthermore, the budget documents project $484.7 million in program costs through fiscal 2009 with post-study development work, for which specific congressional approval is required.
The Energy request “seems to cast serious doubt on assertions that RNEP is only a study,” says the report, authored by analyst Jonathan Medalia.
The program is controversial, with congressional critics charging that U.S. interest in new nuclear weapons capabilities undermines efforts to persuade other countries to forgo nuclear weapons and raises questions about an international commitment the United States made in 2000 to move toward eventual disarmament.
Article via NTI
Full CRS report (pdf) via Federation of American Scientists