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Guardian. 7 March 2003. Pentagon wants mini-nuke ban to be lifted. WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has asked the US Congress to lift a 10-year ban on developing small nuclear warheads, or "mini-nukes," in one of the most overt steps President George Bush's administration has taken towards building a new atomic arsenal. Buried in the defence department's 2004 budget proposals, sent to congressional committees this week, was a single-line statement that marks a sharp change in US nuclear policy. It calls on the legislature to "rescind the prohibition on research and development of low-yield nuclear weapons." If passed by Congress, the measure would represent an important victory for radicals in the administration, who believe the US arsenal needs to be made more "usable." A Pentagon official said yesterday the research ban on smaller warheads "has negatively affected US government efforts to support the national strategy to counter WMD, and undercuts efforts that could strengthen our ability to deter or respond to new or emerging threats." "It's significant because this is the first time the administration -- and it comes from the department of defence -- has said it wants low-yield weapons," said Kathryn Cran dall, a nuclear weapons expert at the British American Security Information Council. She said the policy statement contradicted denials from administration officials that they had any ambitions to build new weapons. Congressional Republicans approved $15m last year for research on nuclear "bunker busters," designed to penetrate reinforced underground targets before exploding. "Here we have the administration in one of its more open steps so far," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based arms control association. John Spratt, one of the ban's two authors, said: "Some in the administration and in Congress seem to think that the US can move the world in one direction while Washington moves in another -- that we can continue to prevail on other countries not to develop nuclear weapons, while we develop new tactical applications for such weapons, and possibly resume nuclear testing." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProletarianNews http://www.utopia2000.org --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bdn7KI.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
