As U.S. Modernizes Nuclear Weapons, ‘Smaller’ Leaves Some Uneasy
6th February 2016
A fighter jet took off with a mock version of the nation’s first precision-guided atom bomb. Adapted from an older weapon, it was designed with problems like North Korea in mind: Its computer brain and four maneuverable fins let it zero in on deeply buried targets like testing tunnels and weapon sites. And its yield, the bomb’s explosive force, can be dialed up or down depending on the target, to minimize collateral damage.
As might be expected from the New York Times, the news comes with a healthy dollop of left-wing hand-wringing.
The build-it-smaller approach has set off a philosophical clash among those in Washington who think about the unthinkable.
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But critics, including a number of former Obama administration officials, look at the same set of facts and see a very different future. The explosive innards of the revitalized weapons may not be entirely new, they argue, but the smaller yields and better targeting can make the arms more tempting to use — even to use first, rather than in retaliation.
I have no problem with First Use of Nuclear Weapons. Look what it did for Japan, not to mention the U.S.