Rep. Jim Matheson is raising his voice against a planned huge conventional explosion at the Nevada Test Site, saying it may be intended to assist in developing a new low-yield nuclear weapon.
Earlier this month, the Utah Democrat wrote to James Tegnelia, director of the test's sponsor, the Defense Treat Reduction Agency. The test, named "Divine Strake," would be carried out June 2.
Congress in 2003 repealed a ban on research and development of low-yield nuclear devices, Matheson wrote. Some members of Congress, including Matheson, thought the repeal amounted to "yielding to those who actively support the development of new nuclear weapons."
After the repeal, the Defense Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration assured Congress that the ban should be lifted because it hindered research and that no actual weapon was being stealthily developed, Matheson wrote.
However, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency recently indicated the demonstration "will develop a planning tool that will improve the warfighter's confidence in selecting the smaller proper nuclear yield necessary to destroy underground facilities while minimizing collateral damage."
Matheson commented, "That sounds like preparation for a low-yield nuclear weapon to me."
Matheson said that the explosion of 700 tons won't simulate an actual conventional bomb "because no bomber in the U.S. fleet has the capacity to carry a weapon of that size." However, based on unclassified information, the Divine Strake explosion would be "much smaller than (the power of) any nuclear weapon the U.S. currently possesses," he wrote.
Matheson added he is worried that the explosion is being billed as a conventional demonstration when its actual intent is to further the pursuit of a new nuclear weapon.
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