Pentagon Pulls Pre-Emptive Nuke Draft From Web Site
defensenews: An unclassified draft of a U.S. nuclear doctrine review that spells out conditions under which U.S. commanders might seek approval to use nuclear weapons has been removed from a Pentagon website, a spokesman said on Sept. 19.
Lawrence DiRita, the Pentagon spokesman, said the document was taken down 'because even in an unclassified world this is not the kind of thing you want flying around the internet'.
Entitled "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations" [db: pdf] and prepared under the direction of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the draft was spotted on a Pentagon website earlier this month.
DiRita said the results of the review have not yet gone to either Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld or General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
'It's getting reviewed in the normal order of things. It hasn't made it to any level at which any decisions would be made,'he said.
'It would be premature to discuss changes to U.S. posture in this regard because it is not at the level at which decisions are made,'he said.
The review was initiated in response to a broader review of the U.S. nuclear posture in 2001 that called for a smaller but more flexible nuclear force in the face of a more uncertain threat environment.
'To maximize deterrence of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) use, it is essential U.S. forces prepare to use nuclear weapons effectively and that U.S. forces are determined to employ nuclear weapons if necessary to prevent or retaliate against WMD use,'the draft document said. Read more
db:Blindingly stupid move - ban something and the market value sky-rockets. Get the pdf from the link above - read it - then ask yourself - are Iran and N Korea really the worlds greatest Nuclear threats?
Lawrence DiRita, the Pentagon spokesman, said the document was taken down 'because even in an unclassified world this is not the kind of thing you want flying around the internet'.
Entitled "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations" [db: pdf] and prepared under the direction of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the draft was spotted on a Pentagon website earlier this month.
DiRita said the results of the review have not yet gone to either Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld or General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
'It's getting reviewed in the normal order of things. It hasn't made it to any level at which any decisions would be made,'he said.
'It would be premature to discuss changes to U.S. posture in this regard because it is not at the level at which decisions are made,'he said.
The review was initiated in response to a broader review of the U.S. nuclear posture in 2001 that called for a smaller but more flexible nuclear force in the face of a more uncertain threat environment.
'To maximize deterrence of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) use, it is essential U.S. forces prepare to use nuclear weapons effectively and that U.S. forces are determined to employ nuclear weapons if necessary to prevent or retaliate against WMD use,'the draft document said. Read more
db:Blindingly stupid move - ban something and the market value sky-rockets. Get the pdf from the link above - read it - then ask yourself - are Iran and N Korea really the worlds greatest Nuclear threats?
posted by exoplanet at 3:18 PM
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