US wants mini-nukes for smaller aggressors [View All]

[Whoa_Nelly]

US wants mini-nukes for smaller aggressors
Washington
October 27, 2003


Influential advisers at the Pentagon are backing the development of a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons - so-called "mini-nukes" - in a controversial report to be published this autumn.

The document, Future Strategic Strike Force, has been produced by the Defence Science Board, which has a Pentagon brief to "transform the nation's armed forces to meet the demands placed on them by a changing world order".

The board's findings envisage a revamped nuclear arsenal made up of small-scale missiles whose explosive impact would be easier to control and could be targeted at smaller aggressive states.

<snip>
The document is believed to have the strong backing of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who last week called for a "bolder" approach to national security in a leaked Pentagon memo. A month ago, the Senate eased restrictions on nuclear tests at the military's Nevada site, where no new test has taken place since 1992.

more...
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/26/1067103266509.html