U.S. Considers Developing New Nuclear Bomb Chernobyl Site Now Used for Research * The Defense Department is now considering developing a new, low-yield nuclear weapon with an earth-penetrating nose-cone that could demolish hardened or deeply buried targets such as leadership bunkers or command centers. The new weapons are being considered as a way of reaching underground targets without incurring extreme collateral damage. Low-yield nuclear bombs are being considered due to the growing concern that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein could hide biological weapons in underground bunkers. Russia's construction of a nuclear war command center under Yamental Mountain has also drawn attention as a possible target. Advocates of the plan say that developing smaller low-yield nuclear weapons could help the United States to reduce its current stockpile of 6,000 more powerful warheads, which are currently being stored under the U.S. Stockpile Stewardship Program. Congress barred research and development of low-yield warheads out of concern that such weapons would blur the line between conventional and nuclear weapons. The Federation of Nuclear Scientists (or FAS) plans to release a report this week that argues that "adding low-yield warheads to the world's nuclear inventory simply makes their use more likely." A new nuclear bomb has not been developed in the United States since 1980 and there has been no nuclear testing since 1992. Stephen Younger, chief of nuclear weapons research at Los Alamos National Laboratory suggested that small, precision-guided missiles, perhaps less than half the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, would be better suited for destruction of buried concrete bunkers and mobile missiles than the missiles the U.S. currently stores. Also, as Paul Robinson, head of Sandia Nuclear Laboratories said the devices could help decision-makers "contemplate the destruction of some buried or hidden targets while being mindful of the need to minimize collateral damage." However, critics say that the missile would not be able to penetrate deep enough to prevent radioactive debris from being released into the atmosphere. In the FAS study, theoretical physicist Robert W. Nelson asserts that, "This mission does not appear possible, without causing massive radioactive contamination. No American president would elect to use nuclear weapons in this situation." The Defense Department is now considering developing a new, low-yield nuclear weapon with an earth-penetrating nose-cone that could demolish hardened or deeply buried targets such as leadership bunkers or command centers. The new weapons are being considered as a way of reaching underground targets without incurring extreme collateral damage. Low-yield nuclear bombs are being considered due to the growing concern that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein could hide biological weapons in underground bunkers. Russia's construction of a nuclear war command center under Yamental Mountain has also drawn attention as a possible target. Advocates of the plan say that developing smaller low-yield nuclear weapons could help the United States to reduce its current stockpile of 6,000 more powerful warheads, which are currently being stored under the U.S. Stockpile Stewardship Program. Congress barred research and development of low-yield warheads out of concern that such weapons would blur the line between conventional and nuclear weapons. The Federation of Nuclear Scientists (or FAS) plans to release a report this week that argues that "adding low-yield warheads to the world's nuclear inventory simply makes their use more likely." A new nuclear bomb has not been developed in the United States since 1980 and there has been no nuclear testing since 1992. Stephen Younger, chief of nuclear weapons research at Los Alamos National Laboratory suggested that small, precision-guided missiles, perhaps less than half the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, would be better suited for destruction of buried concrete bunkers and mobile missiles than the missiles the U.S. currently stores. Also, as Paul Robinson, head of Sandia Nuclear Laboratories said the devices could help decision-makers "contemplate the destruction of some buried or hidden targets while being mindful of the need to minimize collateral damage." However, critics say that the missile would not be able to penetrate deep enough to prevent radioactive debris from being released into the atmosphere. In the FAS study, theoretical physicist Robert W. Nelson asserts that, "This mission does not appear possible, without causing massive radioactive contamination. No American president would elect to use nuclear weapons in this situation." * Fifteen years after the Chernobyl accident, the contaminated site in the Ukraine is being used to develop new technologies to prevent the leakage of radioactive dust and particles. Among the developments is a special material called EKOR that was used to coat the sarcophagus in a destroyed reactor. The crumbling sarcophagus at Chernobyl was coated with EKOR in March 2000. The material was shown to thicken after application and is estimated to hermetically seal waste for up to 400 years. EKOR was developed by scientists at the EuroAsian Society and has so far proven effective in stopping leakage. In what is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, the
nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded on April 26th, 1986, and sent a
radioactive cloud over much of Europe and contaminated large areas of the
Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Despite the environmental devastation of the
accident, scientists working on the Chernobyl project are optimistic,
saying, "EKOR offers a solution to a myriad of problems associated with
nuclear waste handling, disposal and storage." |
