Massive ordnance penetrator. Sounds powerful, right? This bomb is also known by its initials: MOP.
At the insistence of the United States, India has been granted global “nuclear exception” status despite being a non-signatory on nuclear non-proliferation treaties, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal (signed in October of last year), consensus at the Nuclear Supplier’s Group and clearance by the global nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), means that India can now access dual-use nuclear technology to generate electricity.
WASHINGTON - Excerpts of the
internal draft report by the staff of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) published online last week show that the report's claims
about Iranian work on a nuclear weapon is based almost entirely on
intelligence documents which have provoked a serious conflict within
the agency.
On the face of it, nuclear disarmament seems pretty
straightforward--we have a bunch of things that we don't need anymore,
and let's get rid of them.
Representatives from almost 200 nations warmly greeted President
Barack Obama at the United Nations today. Most like him personally and
his popularity has fueled a huge increase in global approval for the
United States. The latest figures from the Pew Research Center show
large majorities in most nations now have a favorable view of the
United States, a significant change from 2008, when George W. Bush was
president.
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is seeking to speed deployment
of an ultra-large "bunker-buster" bomb on the most advanced U.S. bomber
as soon as July 2010, the Air Force said on Sunday, amid concerns over
perceived nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran.
The non-nuclear, 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP,
which is still being tested, is designed to destroy deeply buried
bunkers beyond the reach of existing bombs.
On April 5, 2009 President Barack Obama gave a major speech in Prague,
outlining his vision on nuclear weapons policy. In many ways, Obama's
speech was the culmination of a sea change in how the security
establishment thinks about nuclear weapons.
It's not
on the front pages of what is left of U.S. newspapers. The headlines
are dominated by violence in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, by Miss
America's semi-nude photo scandal, and by the Chrysler fiasco. But just
about everyone who is anyone is talking about nuclear weapons this week.
