The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced on 3-2-07 that the US would be pursuing the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The program makes a lot of sense on many levels. But the timing of the press release is a bit odd. Certain sandy states will no doubt notice the irony of the program. While the US is browbeating them into abandoning their dreams of a fissile future, we on the other hand are pursuing better and safer nukes. Of course, we’ll argue that it is a smaller and safer stockpile, and I’m sure that is true. But I’ll wager that the next generation nuke will be designed for better efficiency as well.
Maybe we’ll launch them from the new Cheney Class of submersible aircraft carriers…
Lamentations on Chemistry 
A further irony is that we are the only country to have ever used these weapons.
Yes but…
Germany created chemical weapons… F Haber – of Haber Process fame created Mustard gas in WWI… so you know…
The UK apparently created “concentration camps” (although I don’t recall gas chambers being mentioned in the Boer war?)…
History is very subjective… if people don’t pull back and consider everything… and look only at snapshots – they can make allsorts of comments/claims…
I don’t recall any irony being commented on when Japan attacked the US in Pearl Harbour unprovoked… or that at the same time the UK was fighting for it’s survival against their allies totalitarian Nazi Germany, whom had conqured nearly the whole of Europe???
What about the thousands of troops killed retaking Iwo Jima? And the predicted 1 million casualties for taking the Japanese mainland?
I have nothing against those two countries – Japan and Germany are quite rightly our friends…. I think they’ve learnt themselves peaceful cooperation is far more productive than conflict.
Ultimately – I don’t think I would have liked to have had to make Truman’s decision… whether to use a weapon to end the conflict quickly. Or face a “Pyrrhic victory” that could scar a country for a generation? Do you think if the roles were reversed that Hitler or the Japanese military hirachy would have considered for a second using those weapons…?
I don’t know about you – but the UK treats me very well (I’m not particularly rich at the moment, but it has enabled me to train and become educated and so that first point is likely to change with work).
The US has done much to promote peace / prosperity in Europe, and indeed more often than not world-wide by doing more to promote international law then any other country (a point I do not doubt will get some parts of current society screaming at me!) – there’s so much anti-americanism – because it’s “fashionable”, its saddening.
Mind many americans do not help themselves in that regard…
I’d like to know why do these anti-american people in my country (whom seem to actually be anti-everything) get so much media coverage…? Is it because they are willing to make such outrageous statements?
I could go fully into the current politics but I don’t wish to…. all it’ll do is create possible abuse for myself.
All I will say is that – it is quite right to “speak softly and wield a big stick”.
All I see is less than democratic and quite frankly morally corrupt regimes thinking they can stick two fingers to the US and the rest of the world, whilst their own people suffer.
The whole Iranian issue. Does anyone actually believe a country with the oil/gas reserves they have are doing this for any other reason than to develop weapons? Why was the recent coverage of the Iranian dissident’s hanging punctuated with “death to america”? Because there – this is cultural brainwashing.
I’ve known Iranians, seemed very nice. But I wonder what lengths the political masters will go to – what ambitions do they really have?
Oh this all gives me a headache.
I think the nature of the world we live in means that it is quite right to have these weapons… to deter anyone else to NOT use there’s. I see far to many groups in the world who would do to us, what we’re now making statements and debating NOT doing to them.
Thats where the irony really lies.
Wow Mark. I’d say that you’ve given this some thought.
Unfortunately, the nuclear genie is out of the bottle and it was only a matter of time that third tier states would seek to acquire them. Perhaps it is more important now than ever for the current nuclear states to hold firm on their nuclear capability in order deter the upstart states from using theirs. Some kind of assured destruction threat. The Iranians are smart folks. They must know that any first use by Iran against US interests would lead to a massive (and final) retaliation in kind. The only question will be- ground burst, air burst, or some of each?
I think history has shown that the best use of nuclear weapons is for the threat of their use, not their actual ability to move dirt. It’s all about deterrence. So maybe that is the context from which to understand the Iranian push for the bomb. Of course, the big unknown in the Iranian nuclear question is what Russia is up to. I predict that when Iran has it’s big standoff, Russia will be standing right behind them.
“The only question will be- ground burst, air burst, or some of each?”
Possible Exo-atmospheric burst? – EMP takes out all electronic equipment and then the military rolls in to remove the theocratic regime???
All merely speculation.
Alternatively, Iran’s use of the same – against their “Zionist enemy”? So that takes out the high-tech Israelis? Enabling them to “wipe them off the face of the map”?
When will both sides see sense and come to the table???
The problems are all these proxy armies are in conflict all over the middle east (asymmetric warfare), then you have a dramatic change to the strategic situation in an area of religious and economic value to the west…. so we get dragged in…
A real flash point. The stuff nightmares are made of.
People just are incapable of predicting what happens next – and the potential rise of soicopaths to political power.
Use of the bomb, now it’s full effects are known is surely an example of mental instability. Question is, with rhetoric thats being bounded arround – certain sides simply will not allow Iran to have the bomb. And Iran is not going to maintain status quo ante…
At some point thats going to generate Casus belli…. and everyone just hopes that this never has to happen…
Either way – I support the quick(er) buliding of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_%28CVF%29
And the renewing of Trident.
These are personal choices – and I’m not going to get into justification or anything since their are always those whom disagree even in my own country… (these again always seem to get more media coverage than people of similar to my viewpoint??? Yet there are many people whom agree with me…)
– I’ll say that I’m merely confident that my country has done much to promote peace and prosperity worldwide… And that there is accountablity in my country.
The vilification of Tony Blair has been quite unbelievable at times.
One comment in response to the recent Fuel problems here was that a male said “I blame Tony Blair”…
What??? I didn’t see Tony Blair near the fuel tanks???? It’s nothing remotely to do with him.
It seems to me that there’s just an unwritten agenda or code that no matter what happens – its easy to blame TB, on anything. Its almost like “fashion”.
The same thing seems to me, to be seen with the anti-trident replacement “movement”. All about fashion. Not based on real world considerations.