What is the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP)?

The Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) is a proposed addition to the U.S. nuclear weapon arsenal. It would be designed to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets, such as underground bunkers containing chemical and biological weapons and military command centers.

Is the RNEP the same thing as a "mini-nuke"?

No. A "mini-nuke" is a term used for a low-yield nuclear weapon. Although both the RNEP and mini-nuke may be designed to burrow into the ground to destroy a bunker, these weapons are not the same. Mini-nukes are nuclear weapons with a yield of less than five kilotons. The RNEP design has a yield up to a megaton, or around seventy times the force used on Hiroshima.

Why does the Bush Administration want such a weapon?

Through the experiences of the Gulf War of 1991, U.S. military planners became increasingly concerned with the development of underground bunkers by potential adversaries. These bunkers could be used to hide chemical or biological weapons from intelligence or to protect them from aerial bombardment. Although many of these targets are vulnerable to attacks from conventional weapons, others are fortified below 100 to 300 feet of concrete. Defeat of hardened and deeply-buried targets emerged as a possible mission for nuclear weapons.

How much will it cost?

Congress already appropriated $15 million for fiscal year 2003 for the RNEP study. The total cost of deploying such a nuclear weapon has not been stated by the Administration, but could be several hundred million dollars.

When would this weapon be deployed?

The RNEP is still in an early development phase. The work will be conducted by the two nuclear weapons laboratories at Los Alamos (NM) and Livermore (CA). The warhead is estimated to take six to ten years to deploy.

Would military planners be more likely to use the RNEP than other nuclear weapons?

Yes. For the last 50 years, nuclear weapons have held a special status within the U.S. arsenal. Since nuclear weapons are so devastating, they would only be used if the U.S. were attacked with nuclear weapons by another nuclear state. The RNEP diverts from this long-established strategy. Because of its earth penetrating capability, the RNEP is considered by some in the Administration as a more "usable" nuclear weapon than existing nuclear weapons.

However, reports by scientists indicate that the RNEP is far from being a "clean" weapon. If detonated in an urban setting, 10,000 to 50,000 people would receive a fatal dose of radiation within the first 24 hours. This estimate does not take into account traumatic injuries arising from the extreme pressures of the blast or thermal injuries arising from the heat of the explosion. Nor does the casualty estimate consider the consequences of fires and the collapse of buildings from the seismic shock that the explosion would produce.

Would the development of the RNEP encourage nuclear proliferation?

Yes. The development of a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator would have disastrous consequences for the international arms control regime. Since 1978, the United States has pledged not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states that are members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), except if attacked by such a state that is allied with a state possessing nuclear weapons. If the Bush Administration continues to see nuclear weapons as usable, the threshold for using nuclear weapons will be significantly lowered. This will encourage other nations to develop "usable" nuclear weapons.