(IntegrityPress.org) – If recent developments from the Department of Defense are an indication, readers may want to consider stocking up on potassium iodide tablets, which help protect against some forms of radiation. On August 6 of 1945, the world was introduced to Little Boy. The device detonated over Hiroshima and yielded a blast that scientists say was equivalent to about 15,000 tons of dynamite.
The allies dropped a second and slightly-more powerful bomb on Nagasaki three days later. Both World War II-era devices pale in comparison to what the Pentagon is hoping to be given congressional approval for. In an October 27 press release, the DoD announced that it is planning on upgrading the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
Readers may or may not agree with the proposal, but numbers don’t tend to care about one’s feelings. According to reports, the bomb in question will have a capacity that is 24 times greater than those used on Japan in the middle of the 20th Century. The latest variant will carry the designation of B61-13 and is said to have a 360 kiloton yield.
In the release, the Pentagon said their congressional request “is reflective of” changes in the national “security environment and” a result of the “growing” number of “threats from potential” adversarial nations. The piece was penned by John Plumb, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, and said the United States was in “need” of a credible form of deterrence.
Plumb’s announcement follows what appears to be instances of increased saber rattling around the globe, but especially in the Middle East. In addition to what has already taken place in Israel between the nation’s military forces and elements of Hamas, several regional powers have warned of the possibility they too could join the conflict. Iran and Turkey have both issued threats.
Israel is widely suspected of having its own nuclear deterrent. Their “Sampson option” would reportedly employ the weapons if the country was on the brink of annihilation.
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