A new era of nuclear weapons (San Fransisco Chronicle)

Congress, with only a limited debate, has given the Bush administration a green light for the biggest revitalization of the country's nuclear weapons program since the end of the Cold War, leaving many Democrats and even some hawkish Republicans seething.

"This has been a good year," said Linton Brooks, the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which develops and manages the country's nuclear weapons arsenal. "I'm pretty happy we essentially got what we wanted."

Reversing a decade of restraint in nuclear weapons policy, Congress agreed to provide more than $6 billion for research, expansion and upgrades in the country's nuclear capabilities. While Congress approved large sums to maintain the existing nuclear arsenal even during the Clinton years, this year's increases will finance multiyear programs to design a new generation of warheads as well as more sophisticated missiles, bombers and re-entry vehicles to deliver them.

"This is a fairly radical new way of thinking about things," Brooks said, adding that it amounted to "a more fundamental shift in the way we look at this than many people realize."

more...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2003%2F12%2F07%2FMNG5Q3GH941.DTL

I'm actually interning at the NNSA right now and about a month ago all the interns got to attend a lunch with the "important people" and Brooks was there. My friend accidentally threw a carrot at him. He's actually a really nice guy. Very boyish looking and down to earth.

And actually, I'm on DU procrastinating rather than doing what I'm supposed to be doing: writing a paper on Bush's Nuclear Posture Review. Thanks for the link, though, I think it'll be useful for my paper...and it's reminding me that I should really get back to work.

bunker-buster nukes? As a physicist, I am against it. You should read a recent article that appeared in Physics Today. It shows how dangerous these weapons could be as far as nuclear fallout.

http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-56/iss-11/p32.html

I haven't gotten back to work.

And hey, I'm a former physicist! I dropped out of my grad program before finishing the PhD to come work on arms control stuff in DC. A lot of the folks over at the Union of Concerned Scientists helped me make the transition, actually, which probably answers your question on how I feel about the bunker busters. :) It seems like so often - with bunker busters and missile defense, at least - the policy debate seems irrelevant when you consider what the science says.

As a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, I thank you for your work on the policy side of things. BTW, no one is a former physicist! Once a physicist, always a physicist. Those problem solving skills just get applied to a larger context. :-)