The US is moving toward development of new “usable” nuclear weapons.  It is doing so even as
it criticizes North Korea, Iran and Libya for efforts to obtain equipment to produce weapons-
grade nuclear material and the ability to deliver nuclear bombs.  The US is doing so even after
attacking and occupying Iraq because, the US said erroneously, Iraq was attempting to build
nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

BACKGROUND
Since the end of the Cold War, some civilian military planners and nuclear scientists have argued
for creating a new class of earth-penetrating nuclear weapons.  These weapons are sometimes
referred to as "bunker busters" because they would be designed to burrow into the ground to
destroy underground military facilities that are protected by 100 to 300 feet of concrete or rock.
These Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrators (RNEP) would use an existing nuclear weapons,
redesigned for use against underground bunkers.  It would have a yield around seventy times the
size of the Hiroshima bomb.

RNEP proponents claim that, because the weapon penetrates the earth before detonating, it
would be a "clean" nuclear weapon. In reality, this would be an extremely "dirty" and deadly
weapon.  If detonated in an urban setting, tens of thousands of people could receive a fatal dose
of radiation within the first 24 hours. More would be killed or injured by the extreme pressures
of the blast and thermal injuries arising from the heat of the explosion.  Still more casualties
would result from the fires and the collapse of buildings from the seismic shock that the
explosion would produce.

Why should other countries stop their pursuit of nuclear weapons – especially those that feel
most threatened by the US policy of preventive war – when the US abandons cooperative
international arms control efforts and seeks to develop new nuclear weapons?

LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT
In late May, the House and Senate approved their respective versions of the annual military
authorization bill.  Within these bills is a provision that would authorize continued funding for
research on RNEP by the Department of Energy (DOE), which is responsible for the design,
development, and testing of U.S. nuclear weapons.  The DOE request includes $15 million for
RNEP research. Before DOE can move forward with RNEP research, the funds must be
appropriated by Congress. Spending for DOE nuclear weapons programs is decided in the annual energy and water appropriations bill.  The full House is expected to take up that bill by the week of June 23rd.

Rep. Markey (MA) will offer a floor amendment to delete the funds for the RNEP when the
energy and water appropriations bill reaches the House floor.  It is still possible for the
appropriators to delete funds for this new nuclear weapon.  Members of Congress need to
continue hearing from constituents that stopping nuclear bunker buster research is key to future
US security and US nonproliferation efforts worldwide.

(For more information on nuclear weapons and disarmament visit
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/arm/cntrl_nuclear-weapons.htm )

ACTION
Contact your representative (see Sample Letter below) and urge him/her to vote to block funding
for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) when the energy and water appropriations bill
reaches the floor of the House. Investing in the research of new nuclear weapons will send the
wrong signal to the rest of the world. In the long run, it will undermine U.S. security.

To contact your congressperson by email, Fax or phone, click http://www.house.gov

SAMPLE LETTER (It’s always best to personalize the letter.)
Dear Representative (name)

I am very concerned by the recent action of the House authorizing $15 million for the
development of a new "bunker buster" nuclear weapon, the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator.
New nuclear weapons research would likely lead to further proliferation and undermine US
security.

The fact that the US, an unrivaled global military power, continues to rely on nuclear weapons
for its security, reinforces the idea that these weapons can lead to national security.  How can the
US demand that Iran, North Korea, and others disarm if the US is continuing to develop its
arsenal?  If the US wants lasting peace and security, new nuclear weapons research is not the
correct approach.

The appropriations process offers the House of Representatives another opportunity to take a
stand for a sane nuclear weapons policy.  I urge you to actively support amendments to stop the
research of the this weapon when the House debates the energy and water appropriations bill.

Sincerely,