The US military has announced that it will attempt to develop a new nuclear bomb more than 20 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945, which ended World War II.
A Department of Defense fact sheet says the new weapon, called B61-13, would have a blast power similar to the 360 kilotons of TNT in the B61-7 bomb.
By comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a blast power of 15 kilotons of TNT, making the new bomb 24 times more powerful.
The creation of B61-13 must first be approved and funded by Congress.
If that happens, manufacturing the new weapon would be the task of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
“Today’s announcement reflects a changing security environment and growing threats from potential adversaries,” Under Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb said in a statement Friday.
The United States Department of Defense announced its plans to build a new nuclear bomb.AP
“The United States has a responsibility to continue to assess and deploy the capabilities we need to credibly deter and, if necessary, respond to strategic attacks, and reassure our allies.”
The announcement comes almost exactly a year after the publication of the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review, which called on the United States to modernize its aging nuclear arsenal, while China is on track to possess at least 1,000 warheads by 2030.
“In an era of increasing nuclear risks, a partial renewal strategy no longer serves our interests,” that report said. “We must develop and deploy a balanced and flexible reserve capable of [keeping up with] threats, respond to uncertainty and maintain effectiveness.
The B61-13s would be designed to detonate at “harder, large-area military targets” when launched from a modern aircraft. Getty Images
Russia is estimated to have 5,977 nuclear warheads, while the United States has 5,428, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
The B61-13 would be made with warheads reused from older bombs and would be designed to attack “tougher, larger-area military targets,” according to the Pentagon.
It would also “include modern safety and precision features” of the Obama-era B61-12.
President Biden previously campaigned on reducing the world’s use of nuclear weapons.dpa/picture Alliance via Getty Images
The announcement won cautious approval from top Republican members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, who said it was “just a modest step in the right direction.”
“The B61-13 is not a long-term solution, but it will provide our commanders, particularly in [the Indo-Pacific] and [Europe] with more flexibility against these sets of targets,” said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). “As the Strategic Posture Commission recently noted, China and Russia are in the midst of an arms race, and the United States is advancing in the same place. “A drastic transformation of our deterrence posture, not incremental or gradual changes, is required to address this threat.”
“Since taking office, the Biden Administration has taken a balanced approach between maintaining a secure and effective nuclear deterrent and a strong and credible expanded deterrent, and taking the necessary steps to reduce the global prominence of nuclear weapons and move us closer to a world without nuclear weapons,” a National Security Council spokesperson told the Post on Monday.
The proposed new bombs would be 24 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima.AP
“The search for B61-13 is consistent with that approach.”
In July, the Congressional Budget Office reported that “the nation’s current nuclear forces are reaching the end of their useful life, and some delivery systems may no longer be able to extend their useful life.”
A month earlier, President Biden warned that the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is “real.”
Biden previously warned that the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons is “real.” POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier this month, the Pentagon’s annual assessment of “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” prepared for Congress, revealed that China has likely surpassed last year’s estimated number of nuclear warheads.
As of May, Beijing had approximately 500 nuclear weapons, up from an estimated 400 a year earlier.
China has also increased its navy to about 370 ships, up from 340 last year, according to the report.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn