Trump Administration Rolls Out Low-Yield Nukes
The United States has begun manufacturing a low-yield nuclear warhead to be used in Trident missiles, reports The Guardian citing an emailed announcement by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The new weapon - the W76-2, is a modification of an existing Trident nuclear warhead. According to the NNSA, the first batch have come off the production line, and an unspecified number of them referred to as "initial operational capability" will be ready for delivery before the end of September.
According to Stephen Young, a senior Washington representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists, the yield on the W76 was likely reduced to created the W76-2 by removing one stage from the original two-stage device.
"As best we can tell, the only requirement is to replace the existing secondary, or second stage, with a dummy version, which is what they do every time they test fly a missile," said Young, who noted that the amount of the hydrogen isotope tritium may also be adjusted.
The result is that the yield has been reduced by 95% - from 100 kilotons of TNT to around five kilotons; around 1/3 of the force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-28/trump-administration-rolls-out-low-yield-nukes
YEP We the people sure want this shit!!!