Bunkers and Bombs and Bad Guys
January 7, 2007 10:54 AM Subscribe
A Revised Environmental Assessment is available from the Department of Energy Environmental Publications website for the DIVINE STRAKE simulation of a tactical nuclear bunker busting bomb.
They withdrew the FONSI after a month of controversy this summer.
Divine Strake is not a tactical nuke, but an conventional explosion to test underground damage in order to assess tactical nukes. A worry is that it will stir up radioactive dust from the former nuclear tests done in the area.
posted by Brian B. at 12:09 PM on January 7, 2007
posted by Brian B. at 12:09 PM on January 7, 2007
wtF? are you kidding? can we all call our senators tomorrow and stop this madness?
posted by specialk420 at 12:23 PM on January 7, 2007
posted by specialk420 at 12:23 PM on January 7, 2007
specialk420,
Does your senator also have a seat in the Knesset? Of course, the United States can exert a lot of pressure on Israel, but it is ultimately up to them.
Indeed, it seems reasonably likely that this information coming out about considering a nuclear strike is a diplomatic tactic with at least some support from the United States, meant to demonstrate that options beyond sanctions do exist.
posted by sindark at 12:42 PM on January 7, 2007
Does your senator also have a seat in the Knesset? Of course, the United States can exert a lot of pressure on Israel, but it is ultimately up to them.
Indeed, it seems reasonably likely that this information coming out about considering a nuclear strike is a diplomatic tactic with at least some support from the United States, meant to demonstrate that options beyond sanctions do exist.
posted by sindark at 12:42 PM on January 7, 2007
Does your senator also have a seat in the Knesset?
No, but your congress authorises Israel's defense budget to the tune of $17 billion in the past decade.
posted by furtive at 1:00 PM on January 7, 2007
No, but your congress authorises Israel's defense budget to the tune of $17 billion in the past decade.
posted by furtive at 1:00 PM on January 7, 2007
Via Wikipedia:
So it's a low-yield conventional load – not even a milspec explosive type – on an air-dropped delivery platform (probably where the design time went.) Sounds pretty non-controversial to me, providing they change the test site.
Actually, all this flap sounds like the ages-old NIMBY problem. Munitions testing happens anyway; it just costs the taxpayer more when it's done in Australia or Mexico or under the NASA umbrella. I bet it's because the DoE test site stewardship rights haven't been exercised for a weapons test in a good long while. I love infighting.
(On a side note, I love how the name is aimed at the 11 year old version of me. Though I'm sure listening to White Zombie and watching Aliens on a loop isn't what those DTRAites do all day.)
posted by electronslave at 3:11 PM on January 7, 2007
The test will utilize 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (the equivalent of 593 tons of TNT).
So it's a low-yield conventional load – not even a milspec explosive type – on an air-dropped delivery platform (probably where the design time went.) Sounds pretty non-controversial to me, providing they change the test site.
Actually, all this flap sounds like the ages-old NIMBY problem. Munitions testing happens anyway; it just costs the taxpayer more when it's done in Australia or Mexico or under the NASA umbrella. I bet it's because the DoE test site stewardship rights haven't been exercised for a weapons test in a good long while. I love infighting.
(On a side note, I love how the name is aimed at the 11 year old version of me. Though I'm sure listening to White Zombie and watching Aliens on a loop isn't what those DTRAites do all day.)
posted by electronslave at 3:11 PM on January 7, 2007
I wonder how much Israel costs the average American taxpayer over the course of a lifetime...
posted by five fresh fish at 5:52 PM on January 7, 2007
posted by five fresh fish at 5:52 PM on January 7, 2007
The 'nice' thing about nuking Iran is that they'll never be able to prove that nothing worth nuking was actually there--Unlike the WMD's that failed to be found in Iraq.
posted by Goofyy at 11:44 PM on January 7, 2007
posted by Goofyy at 11:44 PM on January 7, 2007
They withdrew the FONSI?
Proof this war's jumped the shark...
posted by Samizdata at 2:33 AM on January 8, 2007
Proof this war's jumped the shark...
posted by Samizdata at 2:33 AM on January 8, 2007
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posted by imperium at 11:08 AM on January 7, 2007