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The 2001 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) makes an argument
for the development and deployment of bunker-busters and low-yield nuclear
weapons (aka mini-nukes). Mini-nuclear weapons were defined by the 1993 Congress
as a nuclear weapon with a yield of five kilotons or less. In 1994, research
and development of these types of weapons were explicitly banned by the Spratt-Furse Amendment. That ban, however, was repealed by the 2003 Defense
Authorization Act enabling the nation's nuclear weapons labs to seek funding for
research into new kinds of low-yield nuclear weapons.
Bunker-Busters vs. Mini-Nukes. The term
"bunker-buster" is typically associated with mini-nukes, but in reality, the two
terms mean two separate weapons. For example, the National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA)-part of the U.S. Department of Energy has sought funding
for a multi-year study of a new nuclear bunker-buster called the Robust
Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). Bunker busters penetrate into the ground some
tens of feet before detonating, thus increasing the possibility of destroying
buried targets, such as WMD production facilities or leadership bunkers. Since
September 2001, the United States has had one type of nuclear earth penetrator,
the B61-11, in its arsenal. But several weapons scientists doubt whether the
B61-11 can reach hardened, underground targets. Thus in 2003 following the NPR,
the U.S. Air Force along with the NNSA undertook the controversial RNEP study to
determine whether existing B61 and B83 nuclear bombs can be modified to destroy
hardened and deeply buried targets. Initially, the RNEP study was estimated to
cost $15 million per year for FY2003-FY2005. But because of the controversial
nature of the research, Congress allocated only $7.5 million for 2004 and
nothing for 2005. Currently, the estimated cost for the program for
FY2003-FY2009 is close to $500 million.
In 2006, Congress denied the Bush administration's request for $4 million for the
Department of Energy to conduct a test of a mock RNEP. However, the Congress did
authorize $4 million for the Defense Department to conduct a similar "sled" test
as part of a related penetrator study. The test will involve slamming a mock
warhead into a huge block of concrete. Although described as a "conventional"
penetrator test, the data from the test would also apply to nuclear penetrators
as well.
What Is the RNEP? The RNEP concept simply takes an existing
high-yield nuclear warhead and re-packages it into a hardened casing to increase
its penetration depth. While this particular weapon is designed to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets (HDBTs), it does nothing to prevent fallout
or to lessen the risk of collateral damage. Critics argue that developing a new
nuclear weapon undermines U.S. efforts to convince other countries not to
develop nuclear weapons. Moreover, a nuclear penetrator probably would not be
used because radiation fallout could cause many casualties and render the target
inaccessible.
What Are Mini-Nukes?
Mini-nukes are also earth-penetrating weapons, but consist of
low-yield warheads. These warheads are typically characterized as fission-based
(there are two fission-based low-yield nuclear weapons currently deployed in the
U.S. arsenal), reduced-fission, or the more theoretical pure-fusion warheads. By
virtue of their low-yield and combination of the physical make-up of their
warheads, mini-nukes for some present a viable alternative to traditional
dependence on high-yield nuclear weapons for deterrence and hardened or
widely-dispersed targets. To others, mini-nukes present a dangerous stepping
stone from conventional armaments to high-yield nuclear weapons. There is a
widespread belief that if mini-nukes were used in combat, it would
undermine the existing "nuclear taboo," and conflicts might escalate to all-out nuclear war.
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Further Reading:
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CNS,
Charles Ferguson,
"Mini-Nuclear Weapons and the Nuclear Posture Review"
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CNS, Charles Ferguson &
Peter Zimmerman,
"New Nuclear Weapons?" |
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BASIC,
Mark Bromley, David Grahame & Christine Kucia,
"Bunker Busters: Washington's Drive for New Nuclear Weapons" |
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CRS, Jonathan Medalia,
"Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Budget Request and Plan,
FY2005-FY2009" |
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Ploughshares, Sarah
Estabrook,
"Funding Cut for the Bunker Buster" |
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NTI, Global Security
Newswire, David Ruppe,
"Congress Allows for 2006 Penetrator Test" |
Bunker-buster test.
[Src: www.dtra.mil]
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