US Military Eyes New Mini-Nukes for 21st-Century Deterrence

[rangerrebew]

 US Military Eyes New Mini-Nukes for 21st-Century Deterrence


    By Patrick Tucker Read bio

August 3, 2017


The Joint Chiefs’ vice chair says smaller-yield weapons are needed to deter the use of same.

The future of nuclear weapons might not be huge and mega destructive but smaller, tactical, and frighteningly, more common. The U.S. Air Force is investigating more options for “variable yield” bombs  — nukes that can be dialed down to blow up an area as small as a neighborhood, or dialed up for a much larger punch.

http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2017/08/us-military-eyes-new-mini-nukes-21st-century-deterrence/139997/?oref=d-river

[Mad Max]

Our nuclear stockpile is very old and need updating. There is plenty of reprocessed plutonium from plants that closing around the country.

[driftdiver]

Why use a nuke for a small target?

[Fishrrman]

I could see such mini-nukes useful in a situation like North Korea.

Take out the lines of artillery near the DMZ quickly without disturbing Seoul.

Strike surgically at their nuke/missile sites, decapitate their leaders and military without excessive collateral damage...

[Wingnut]

Why use a nuke for a small target?

Huge pucker factor with the mushroom cloud.

[GtHawk]

Bring back the Neutron Bomb!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-jdhorGtQI

[driftdiver]

Huge pucker factor with the mushroom cloud.

Even huger problems caused by it.

[Elderberry]

One of my coworkers was trained to carry the Mk-54 SADM backpack nuke

[Wingnut]

Even huger problems caused by it.

No downside that I can see.

[thackney]

Our nuclear stockpile is very old and need updating. There is plenty of reprocessed plutonium from plants that closing around the country.

Plants closing have little to due with the spent fuel available.  All the nuclear plants produce spent fuel and dealing with that spent fuel is a significant problem / expense.

However, that spent fuel is not reprocessed plutonium.  Spent fuel contains about 1% plutonium and would be available to reprocessed to separate out the plutonium. 

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/plutonium.html

Commercial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is not done in the US.  It was banned by Jimmy Carter in 1977.

Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing: U.S. Policy
Development
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RS22542.pdf

Commercial Nuclear Power spent fuel reprocessing is done in a few other countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reprocessing#List_of_sites