http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/10/myers_uzbekista.htmlTalking about robust. The Defense Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee cut fiscal year 2006 Defense Department funding for a feasibility study for a new Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), an earth penetrating nuclear weapon the administration would like to see developed. Defense Daily also reported this week that the House Armed Services Committee, which provided funding for the RNEP, said the money could only be used research on advanced conventional weapons. The House committee recommended dropping the word "nuclear" from the weapon's name. The danger here is that research work on boutique nuclear warheads moves forward as part of compartmented and special access programs in the future.