DOE Director for Policy Planning John Harvey said: “Anything’s possible” when asked about rumors the Administration might attempt to fund a series of controversial nuclear weapons programs out of the Defense budget in order to bypass opposition from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and its Chairman, Representative David Hobson (R-OH).
For more information, see: Controversial Nuclear Programs Axed (23 November 2004); Hobson Smacks Back Bush Nuclear Initiatives (12 June 2004); CISAC Summer Symposium (12 August 2004); CISAC Smackdown! (30 August 2004)
Late Update: ACW Reader MN sent along a link to the panel transcript. I note that the question was asked by Stephen Young of UCS, who apparently knows something I don’t. You’re getting an e-mail in about ten minutes, buddy.
These deep-earth penetrators were favored by the authors of the 2000 “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” document from the Proect for a New American Century:
“It [sic] addition, there may be a need to develop a new family of nuclear weapons designed to address new sets of military requirements, such as would be required in targeting the very deep underground, hardened bunkers that are being built by many of our potential adversaries.”
http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
(page 20 of 90)
—Stephen Moore
PS: Here’s hoping that red trial balloon isn’t one of 99.