U.S. Mulling New Generation of Land Mines

[Eugene]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5271688,00.html

U.S. Mulling New Generation of Land Mines


Monday September 12, 2005 9:47 AM

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is close to deciding whether to
produce a new generation of land mines, but the system is drawing fire
from critics who say the military is ignoring international sentiment
against such weapons.

Underscoring the unpopularity of the devices, defense officials
working on the program, called Spider, declined to call the weapon a
land mine. They opted instead for generic descriptions like "networked
munitions."

The Spider has the same function as a field of land mines - to prevent
anyone from crossing a piece of territory, either by killing them or
scaring them away. But unlike a traditional minefield, it is designed
to be monitored by a human operator, who can activate the system by
computer when somebody enters the protected area.

It can also be set to function like a traditional minefield, without
any human monitoring, officials involved with the program said in
recent interviews. But they insisted that option would only be used
in rare cases, with approval by senior officers on the ground.

more...

[Bhaisahab]

1. killing is my business

and business is good...


ASSHOLES!

[Pierre Trudeau]

2. sounds completely safe to me

Just like nuclear weapons. After all, only the President can launch those.

Oh, just a second, I have to take this call from Burpleson Air Force Base. ;)

[pinniped]

3. Ok, so it's a so-called "smart" land mine.

--declined to call the weapon a land mine--:eyes:

Is this like getting rid of napalm and calling the new stuff something else?

[Javaman]

23. Smart land mine = spider, napalm = jelly fish

[Judi Lynn]

4. While the rest of the world turns away from these wicket weapons

our own government proudly invents more destructive ones. But wait, they aren't "land mines," oh, no, they are now "networked
munitions."

I can't imagine how they can sleep peacefully ever again. They have opened hell on earth, while their lunatic MEpublican religious hard-right followers pine for the coming of Christ, so they, including these killers can all be "lifted up" into Heaven.

[teryang]

5. No money for levees, but a trillion for killing machines

Isn't having a trillion a year defense, security, intelligence industry just huge? It is as if it doesn't take away from any other policy goals. It doesn't even come up in discussions of ethical decision making by religious leaders and ethics "experts."

[oneighty]

6. Controlled mine fields. Nothing new

Harbor entrance controlled mine fields harken back to pre WW1, perhaps even WW1. Big mines up to a ton+ of HE. Manual control or magnetic influence at the flick of a switch, or safe switch for passage of our own ships.

A mine is a mine is a mine by any other name it still stinks.

180

[formercia]

10. Civil War

The Confederacy used them too.

[oneighty]

16. No doubt

There was a lot of improvement in weapons etc. When Fort Sumter was renovated in the fifties I was there as part of a Navy EOD team. We were fortunate to discover numerous early projectiles designed by the engineer Parrott (Spelling). With C-4 shaped charges we were able to lay some open lengthwise. They are saved somewhere in the Charleston Area. The controlled mine field at the entrance to Charleston Harbor was controlled from Fort Sumter as well.

180

[formercia]

17. They were called torpedoes back then

Did you ever find any Witworth projectiles?

[oneighty]

18. Witworth

does not ring a bell. I recall only cannon balls and the Parrott rounds which were 'projectile shaped' rather than round. I under stood them to be fired from a rifled barrel.

Yes. "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead," I was also a mineman in the Navy. I have a good book on sea mines 'Weapons That Wait'and a history of the Mineman rate.

180

[formercia]

20. a British gun

If I remember, they were hexagonal or octagonal and twisted. Rather than use rifling, the bore was shaped like the projectile. The confederacy used a witworth one pounder as a mountain gun and sniper rifle. It's one of those odd variants that don't turn up often.

[formercia]

7. Just what's needed for the Gated Community

so the rethugs can hide from the unwashed masses.

[truthisfreedom]

8. sounds exactly like cell-triggered bombs used against us in Iraq. right?

makes me sick.

[Nihil]

9. Except they'll cost much more and be less reliable! (n/t)

[ET Awful]

11. Actually it sounds like an updated version of the claymore mine

which has been in use for decades.

I'm not saying I approve of the weapon, just pointing out facts.

[Tesha]

25. No, no! Those are "IEDs" used by terrorists!

Ours are "intelligent area denial munitions" used by the forces
of truth, justice, and the American way!

Try to keep these straight!

Tesha

[DeepModem Mom]

12. OMG! nt

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

13. each piece of shrapnel will have the 10 commandments

engraved.

[The2ndWheel]

14. New generation

They always say that. "It's a new generation of nuclear weapon." That doesn't make it right.

"Get the new, fast acting, land mine! Only available at any local Lockheed Martin Super Store. Buy it now, and control when you blow things away in fractions of a second...to the extreme!!!!!!"

I expect them to one day come up with a more efficient nuclear pill. No longer killing at least hundreds of thousands. Nope, just pop it in, and you alone melt from the inside. No messy clean up.

[Selteri]

15. Joy - Even more ticking timebobs to leave behind N/T

[Ezlivin]

19. POW is now an enemy combatant, war is peace,

and land mines are networked munitions.

It's too bad that a prescient author didn't warn us of these semantic games.

[belle]

21. AUGH. CHRIST. WHEN does this END?!

[lilymidnite]

24. Every day brings a new horror ...

from this crowd, doesn't it?

Very discouraging. I've worked for years and years with the Campaign to Ban Landmines, and this development is f*****g unbelievable.

[Alpharetta]

22. Maybe we can sell these to Iran

when they're our ally against whoever we decide to fight next.