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Take Action to Stop New Nukes

The Bush Administration has requested $15.5 million to develop a new nuclear weapon designed to be used in conventional combat, and that is also more likely to be used against states that don't have nuclear weapons.

This nuclear weapon, known formally as the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, would be made to bore into the earth and destroy underground bunkers or other deeply buried targets. While the combined force of its blast and the effect of the radiation left over would be less than current nuclear weapons, it would still be devastating. If used in an urban setting, this new nuclear weapon would likely kill 10,000 to 50,000 people within 24 hours.


"The explosion simply blows out a massive crater of radioactive dirt, which rains down on the local region with an especially intense and deadly fallout."

Bunker buster proponents characterize these weapons as "safe" nukes, but according to Dr. Nelson, "No earth-burrowing missile can penetrate deep enough into the earth to contain an explosion with a nuclear yield even as small as 1 percent of the 5 kiloton Hiroshima weapon. The explosion simply blows out a massive crater of radioactive dirt, which rains down on the local region with an especially intense and deadly fallout."



Find out more about US plans for new nukes

This new nuclear weapon will devastate nonproliferation endeavors. Building a nuclear weapon that is designed for use in formerly non-nuclear conflicts clearly signals that the US is preparing to use them. This gives a renewed legitimacy to nuclear weapons and obviously increases the threat of their use. Other nations that don't currently have nuclear weapons will likely seek to acquire them in order to deter the US from launching a nuclear attack.


Doesn't this sound familiar? If the experience of the Cold War held a lesson it was to prevent this type of behavior. The US has an opportunity to stop a nuclear arms escalation, by halting the design and development of this new nuclear weapon.

We stand to lose the strides we have already taken to halt the nuclear arms race and to ultimately reverse it. Were this weapon to be designed, it would likely be tested - breaking a decade-old ban on nuclear testing, as well as the sprit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Many countries around the world are concerned that the US will abandon this testing moratorium. In addition, designing nuclear weapons likely to be used against non-nuclear states counters the commitments we have made (and continue to reaffirm) under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Right Wing's commitment to developing these weapons is clear. During a recent House vote on the same issue, Republicans circulated a flier on the House floor calling for votes in favor of the bunker busters. Provided by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Stump, it says, "As seen in Afghanistan, conventional weapons are not always able to destroy underground targets. . . The Nuclear Posture Review concluded that the United States may need Nuclear Earth Penetrators to destroy underground facilities where rogue nations have stored chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons."

We must challenge this incredible
disregard for human life and global security

If these kinds of weapons had been available for use in Afghanistan, they would have killed thousands more innocent civilians and whole segments of land would have been contaminated with radiation.

At a time when India and Pakistan threaten to bring the world to the brink of nuclear war, it is especially important that the US ensure nuclear weapons are never used. Developing nuclear weapons intended for use in otherwise conventional conflicts breaks a needed barrier to nuclear war. These weapons would greatly increase the nuclear threat by implicitly encouraging other nations to step up their own potential use of nuclear weapons so that they might maintain a deterrent against the US.

Email Your Senator Right Now

The Honorable

The administration has requested $15.5 million to study the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, a so-called usable nuclear weapon designed to destroy bunkers or other targets buried in the ground.

Developing these new weapons would send the wrong signal to the world. If we develop new, more usable nuclear weapons, other countries are likely to follow our lead. An increased reliance on nuclear weapons equates to an increased threat to global security.

Nuclear weapons have not been used for 50 years. I urge you to work hard to keep it that way by ensuring that no funding goes to the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator in the Fiscal Year 2003 Defense Authorization Bill.

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you can also call their offices directly:

Senator Schumer
202-224-6542
NYC office: 212-486-4430

Senator Clinton
202-224-4451
NYC office: 212-688-6262


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