NYT: U.S. Selecting Hybrid Design for (Nuclear ICBM) Warheads

[Sgent]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 — The Bush administration is expected to announce next week a major step forward in the building of the country’s first new nuclear warhead in nearly two decades. It will propose combining elements of competing designs from two weapons laboratories in an approach that some experts argue is untested and risky.
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The new weapon would not add to but replace the nation’s existing arsenal of aging warheads, with a new generation meant to be sturdier, more reliable, safer from accidental detonation and more secure from theft by terrorists.

The announcement, to be made by the interagency Nuclear Weapons Council, avoids making a choice between the two designs for a new weapon, called the Reliable Replacement Warhead, which at first would be mounted on submarine-launched missiles.

The effort, if approved by President Bush and financed by Congress, would require a huge refurbishment of the nation’s complex for nuclear design and manufacturing, with the overall bill estimated at more than $100 billion.

NY Times Article

[illinoisprogressive]

1. Congress will never fund it but, Bush just keeps getting scarier.

[Shipwack]

3. Congress will fund it, I'm betting...

Barring any malfeasance or obvious attempts to rip off the government by selling warheads filled with magic beans...

With all the other things on their plate, I don't think cutting back or stopping proliferation is high on their list at the moment. I could be wrong; I just don't remember anyone talking about it at the top of my head...

[Kutjara]

2. A hybrid nuke?

* must think he's being environmentally friendly. He must have heard about hybrid cars and thought this would appeal to the eco lobby.

[caligirl]

4. Send this to Jon. funny.

[951-Riverside]

5. "safer from accidental detonation"

:wtf:

[Heidi]

6. Kick. (nt)

[rodeodance]

7. US to announce new nuclear warhead

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070107/pl_afp/usweaponsnuclear_070107222331

US to announce new nuclear warhead

37 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) -
.........

The new weapon would not add to but replace the nations existing arsenal of aging warheads, with a new generation meant to be sturdier, more reliable, safer from accidental detonation and more secure from theft by terrorists, the report said.
.........

The effort, if approved byPresident George W. Bush and financed by Congress, would require a huge refurbishment of the nations complex for nuclear design and manufacturing, with the overall bill estimated at more than 100 billion dollars, the report said.

But the councils decision also raises the question of whether the United States will ultimately be forced to end its moratorium on underground nuclear testing to make sure the new design works, The Times pointed out.
...........

At a time when the administration is trying to convince the world to impose sanctions on North Korea and
Iran to halt their nuclear programs, critics argue, any move to improve the US arsenal will be seen as hypocritical, the paper pointed out.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Great timing, as in everything this maladminstration does. nt

[Poll_Blind]

9. This is just....terribly unnecessary and tantamount to theft.

  There is no reason why we need to continue an arms race which ended something like thirty years ago with the collapse of the former Soviet Union. We have something like 6,000 nuclear warheads. Six thousand. That's unreal.

100 Billion buys alot of health care and college educations, you know?

PB

[liberal renegade]

19. Me thinks it more like 10,000 n/t

[pocoloco]

10. Hmmm, now if we only had a place to test it.......................

[struggle4progress]

11. U.S. moving to refurbish its nuclear arsenal (IHT)

Administration looks at hybrid weapon
By William J. Broad, David E. Sanger and Thom Shanker
Published: January 7, 2007

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration is expected to announce this week a major step forward in the building of the country's first new nuclear warhead in nearly two decades. It will propose combining elements of competing designs from two weapons laboratories in an approach that some experts argue is untested and risky.

The new weapon would not add to but replace the nation's existing arsenal of aging warheads with a new generation meant to be sturdier, more reliable, safer from accidental detonation and more secure from theft by terrorists.

The announcement, to be made by the interagency Nuclear Weapons Council, avoids making a choice between the two designs for a new weapon, called the Reliable Replacement Warhead, which at first would be mounted on submarine- launched missiles. The effort, if approved by President George W. Bush and financed by Congress, would require a huge refurbishment of the nation's complex for nuclear design and manufacturing, with the overall bill estimated at more than $100 billion.

But the council's decision to seek a hybrid design, combining well-tested elements from an older design with new safety and security elements from a more novel approach, could delay the production of the weapon. It also raises the question of whether the United States will ultimately be forced to end its moratorium on underground testing to make sure the new design works ...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/07/news/warhead.php

So this is really about resuming nuclear testing. Clinto signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty but the Senate has never ratified it -- and the neocon opponents of international law certainly dislike it ...

[BeHereNow]

12. Hmmm...Let me see if I understand this correctly....

The only country in the world to actually USE a nuclear weapon against another country
and who has recently invaded and occupied another country for supposedly
having nuclear weapons, (Iraq did not) now threatens to attack yet
another country (Iran) for supposedly developing nuclear capabilities, now
announces plans to spend 100 billion dollars on MORE nuclear weapons
for its own arsenal?

We have officially gone through the looking glass.

BHN

[LynnTheDem]

18. Exactly how the world sees such blatant hypocrisy.

And then Americans wonder why we're so despised.

[Nihil]

21. Yep ... you got it first try! (n/t)

:crazy:

[dipsydoodle]

13. Safer from accidental detonation ?

does that mean the existing ones are not safe ?

[Eric J in MN]

14. How can we tell Iran and other nations not to build nuclear weapons...

...if we're making even more?

[Double T]

15. What a great way to stop nuclear proliferation....leading by example

Genius, pure genius!

[ShockediSay]

20. Exactly!!! nt

[Doctor_J]

16. Another $100B to Cheney's friends?

sounsd like another scheme to move billions of dollars from the working people to the super-rich.

They're not going down without a fight

[saigon68]

24. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

"OH MY GOD MY SON IS DEAD", cried the NEW GOLD STAR MOTHER.

"OH GOODY ---- HALLIBURTON IS UP ON THE NYSE TODAY", cried the Chicken Hawk
KILLER CHENEY

[LynnTheDem]

17. USA new nukes; USA sells nuke tech to Pakistan & India; USA pitches fit

when any nation not up USA's arse legitimately follows the NPT.

America; the true home of hypocrisy.

[goforit]

22. Hmmm..... I thought Chenny/Bush didn't like scientists.

[Javaman]

23. Hybrid nuke: it mames as well as kills. nt