This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Nukes

  • News from Norkiland: Mad Dog Pays a Visit

    Maybe I’m easily impressed, but it seems to me that the new administration in the White House got to work right away, with less ‘look at me’ than we’ve seen in a while.

    This includes SecDef Mattis’s putting the Norks On Notice to mind their P’s, Q’s, and nukes.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-usa-mattis-idUSKBN15I060

    From the article:  ‘ “Any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said at South Korea’s defense ministry, at the end of a two-day visit.’

    ‘Mattis’ remarks come amid concern that North Korea could be readying to test a new ballistic missile, in what could be an early challenge for Trump’s administration.’

    This does come hard on the heels of the  South’s now-former President Park being fired for corruption.  If GEN Mattis is there in Norkiland, I do hope he pulls a Reagan and goes to visit the DMZ to blow some kisses at the Nork soldiers, while he’s there.

    Yes, I do know that’s a Navy ship, the USS Mason, but I don’t have a photo of SecDef Mattis handy.

  • Subs Ain’t Sandwiches

    I went digging around for news from the real world, not the peculiar daydreams of the left side of the fence, and came across this from the BBC News.

    This story is in regard to a declassed CIA memo about a Polaris class sub, SSBN James Madison colliding with a Soviet Victor class sub off the coast of Scotland near Holy Loch.  It indicates how closely the Soviets followed our subs and could have taken out our first line of defense in a heartbeat, according to the article.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-38744322

    I’m sure sub sailors will have a few things to say about it.

    What is disturbing is that the news of the collision was not released until now, some 40 years later, because at the time, Kissinger  considered it to be “too embarrassing” to be released as news by the Ford administration.

    Embarrassing?? Embarrassing is being caught with your pants down, isn’t it? Subs ain’t sandwiches built especially for you by some benighted soul behind the glass sneeze shields at a Subway shop on the highway.

    You wanna talk about embarrassing??  How about the last eight years??

     

     

  • Air Force Security guards investigated for drugs

    Air Force Security guards investigated for drugs

    90 mw002

    According to the Associated Press, fourteen members of the security force guarding nukes at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming are being investigated for illegal drug activity.

    [General Robin Rand, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command], speaking by telephone from his headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, said the 14 airmen under investigation range in rank from Airman 1st Class to Senior Airman and are members of the security group at F.E. Warren that is responsible for securing the missile fields and convoys that move nuclear weapons.

    Rand said the 14 are accused of off-duty drug “activity,” which he refused to further define. He said the allegations were “credible.”

    None of the folks involved were officers in charge of the readiness of the 450 Minuteman 3 nuclear missiles, but they were part of the security force. Privates will always do private shit no matter how much money they make, I guess.

  • ND:tBF Makes Boom-Boom . . . .

    . . . but not with Ms. Kim.  (smile)

    Apparently the Dork of NorK’s minions detonated another nuclear device yesterday.  Yield was apparently smaller than their previous test about 2 years ago, which was estimated at between 1 and 30 kilotons (with approx 7.9 kilotons being the most probable value).

    However, Emmentaler-Boi has claimed that this was a thermonuclear device.  While it’s possible the NORKs managed to put a bit of tritium and deuterium in a fission warhead this time, the observed yield argues strongly against this being a true (Ulam-Teller) thermonuclear device.  The primary (e.g., the fission device used to cause thermonuclear reactions) used in a true thermonuclear device is typically on the order of the magnitude seen here; the fusion reactions typically add greatly to the yield.  Even a thermonuclear “fizzle” (a device that falls far short of expected yield) typically has a much larger explosive yield than observed in this case (very likely substantially less than 8 kT).

    And if this was a test of a boosted device (a device with introduced deuterium and tritium in order to increase explosive yield), well . . . apparently it sucked.  Pretty badly.

    Assessment.  Fatboy Kim here appears to be lying through his teeth about the “thermonuclear” part.

    Anyone surprised?

  • About That Iran Nuke Deal . . .

    I’m reasonably sure that most TAH readers think the current       group of fools and tools in DC helping the POTUS screw things up by-the-numbers       Administration’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran is a serious mistake, and should be rejected.

    One would expect the Administration’s political foes to oppose the deal.  But it’s not only the Administration;s political opponents who have issues.  For starters, Alan Dershowitz – one of the few liberals out there who IMO actually seems to have his head screwed on straight when it comes to terrorism – has come out strongly against the deal. (He has some pretty harsh criticism of the POTUS’s efforts; the linked article is IMO definitely worth a read.)

    It also seems that two senior Members of Congress from his own party – Sen. Schumer of New York, and Rep. Eliot, also of New York and ranking Minority Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – have now publicly stated their opposition to the deal.

    I just don’t understand that stance.  I mean, really: what’s not to like about a deal that gives away the farm to a nation that has declared you an enemy; which the Administration itself acknowledges will provide financial support to international terrorism; and which the Administration refuses to allow to be read by the public?

    Further, a lady named “Clinton” has reportedly “cautiously embraced the deal”.  And we all know that her judgement – particularly regarding foreign policy – is always “dead on target” and above reproach.  I mean:  just look at Benghazi, her use of email, and her hiring practices.  So what’s not to like?

    (For the record: yes, the previous two paragraph are indeed satire and/or sardonicism.)

    Schumer’s argument for opposing the deal appears quite well-reasoned.  If you’re interested; you can read it here.

    I’m thinking this deal is now in serious trouble. And I’m also thinking . . . that’s just too bad. (smile)

  • Just When You Think You’ve Heard It All . . .

    . . . you see something that makes you realize you definitely haven’t.

    Wanna take a guess at what the current POTUS is blaming his predecessor for now?  If you guessed “for Iran’s nuclear program becoming a serious issue” – well, give yourself a cigar.  According to the POTUS’s latest speech, the Iranian nuclear program apparently only became a concern because of US operations against Iraq starting in 2003.

    Of course, despite the statements in his latest speech that the Iranian possession of a nuclear warhead poses a “danger”, apparently the current POTUS feels that the Iranian nuclear program really poses only a negligible threat to the USA.  I say that because he’s reportedly OKed a deal that appears to leave the Iranian nuclear program essentially intact and unchanged, and only asks the Iranians to give up something amounting to the combination of “Jack” and “Squat”.

    For such agreements we all know that often the “devil is in the details”.  And I’d sure like to read that proposed agreement for myself to see what he’s signed the USA up to do – and what Iran’s agreeing to do as well.  But I guess we’ll have to “pass it to see what’s in it”.   The POTUS won’t make the contents of that proposed agreement do public.

    Seems to me we’ve had to do something like that  – e.g., “pass it to see what’s in it” – at least once before.  I guess keeping the details of the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran under wraps must just be some more of that “most transparent Administration in history” stuff the POTUS keeps touting.

    Sheesh, and GMAFB.  Did he really keep a straight face while spouting that BS?

    The Iranians are still referring to the USA the “Great Satan”.  They still preach “Death to America”.  They are pursuing a nuclear program for one reason, and one reason only:  to acquire a bomb.  Once they do, they’ll use it – either against US interests, or against Israel (who they’ve repeatedly vowed to destroy).  Or they’ll supply it to some international terrorist group who will do the same on their behalf.

    This regime running things today in DC really should start calling itself something like “Clueless Convergence.”

    Of course, after this last claim that just might be an insult to clueless fools everywhere.

     

  • Seventy Years

    Seventy years ago – on 6 August 1945 at roughly 08:15:45 AM Japanese Standard Time, which converts to 7:15:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time the previous day – the Japanese city of Hiroshima ceased to exist.  On 9 August 1945, the Japanese city of Nagasaki followed suit.

    Less than a week afterwards, the Emperor of Japan publicly announced his acceptance of Allied surrender terms.

    I’ve written about the US nuclear missions against Japan previously.  I have no reason to change what I said then.  Read the original article if you like; it can be found here.

    But I’ll again say this much: if you’re so inclined, perhaps take a moment to say a prayer for the souls of those who died that day at Hiroshima, and for those who died three days later at Nagasaki.  And while you’re at it, maybe add a second prayer – that we never again have the need to use such weapons.

  • Yeah, We’re Really Succeeding in Reining In NORKLand

    By now, everyone’s heard the response of the      feckless fool ‘s festival in DC    current Administration to North Korea’s alleged cyber attack on Sony Pictures.  They’ve got to stand up for their most reliable political supporters, I guess.

    But just how well has the current     clueless DC clown krewe     handled North Korea’s nuclear program? Based on recent reporting by Bloomberg.com, not so well.

    North Korea has pretty much told the world to go pound sand regarding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty for years. It has continued its nuclear weapons development programs with hardly a break in stride for the last several years.

    Just how bad has this administration fumbled this? Well, the low-end estimate is that North Korea will possess enough enriched uranium and/or weapons-grade plutonium in about 5 years to fabricate 33 nuclear weapons. The high-end estimate? They’ll have enough material for nearly 80 – 79, to be precise.

    Yeah, the NORKS produce some pretty lousy nukes.  But while 5 to 10 kT isn’t exactly the second coming of the Big Bang, it’s not exactly a firecracker either.

    This article has more details. It’s worth reading.

    I guess we should be glad that the current Administration is such a big fan of missile defense, and has devoted so much time/effort/money into developing same.   And yes – for anyone who didn’t catch it, that last sentence was indeed pure sarcasm.