Sources have revealed to Politico that the Nuclear Posture Review, a high-level committee that was formed by Donald trump in January to take stock of the United State's nuclear arsenal is proposing the development of low-yield bombs. According to the news website, the U.S. president is currently reviewing the proposed plan.
More war-time options
Low-yield nuclear bombs are markedly less lethal than the ones the United States employed in its campaign against the Axis forces during World War 2. If the idea is implemented, it will provide American military bosses with more options during war time.
Some stakeholders have, however, faulted the proposal, arguing that such weapons could create more appetite for the use of nuclear weapons by the U.S. military.
According to The Independent, there are concerns that the employment of smaller nuclear missiles could lead to a full-blown nuclear war. Former President Barack Obama resisted calls to sign off on the development of a new range of nuclear weapons, and any approval from Trump would signal a shift in policy.
The United States has not carried out a nuclear weapons test for 25 years, although the country already owns low-yield nuclear weapons developed during the Cold War years. According to The Independent, defense analysts revealed that these weapons could be "dialed back" for a smaller impact.
For Trump to have the proposal approved, he would have to pass it through Congress, where there would be heated debates on the advantages and drawbacks of such a plan. When George W. Bush was in power, Congress vetoed a proposal by the Pentagon to be allowed to modify a nuclear weapon for use on smaller targets.
Curb North Korea and Russia
When this idea was put forward in February, Senator Dianne Feinstein told Roll Call that nuclear weapons serve as a deterrence. The Democrat added that she had fought such ideas in the past, and was ready to continue opposing such applications of nuclear arms. However, according to The Independent, the idea has gained traction in the Trump government.
In February, the Defense Science Board suggested that the US produce low-yield bombs, an idea that was supported six months later after a top official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed that the American military supported the development of such weapons.
Proponents say if implemented, the proposal would give the United States more room to pursue nuclear weapons. They argue that such weapons would help Washington deter North Korea and Russia - which in the past has said it could employ mini-nukes in its war with Ukraine.
