Washington – Is the U.S. stepping up preparations for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities?
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The Pentagon is always making plans, but based on a little-noticed funding request recently sent to Congress, the answer to that question appears to be yes.
First, some background: Back in October 2007, ABC News reported that the Pentagon had asked Congress for $88 million in the emergency Iraq/Afghanistan war funding request to develop a gargantuan bunker-busting bomb called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). It’s a 30,000-pound bomb designed to hit targets buried 200 feet below ground. Back then, the Pentagon cited an “urgent operational need” for the new weapon.
Now the Pentagon is shifting spending from other programs to fast forward the development and procurement of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. The Pentagon comptroller sent a request to shift the funds to the House and Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees over the summer.
The comptroller said the Pentagon planned to spend $19.1 million to procure four of the bombs, $28.3 million to accelerate the bomb’s “development and testing”, and $21 million to accelerate the integration of the bomb onto B-2 stealth bombers.
‘Urgent Operational Need’
The notification was tucked inside a 93-page “reprogramming” request that included a couple hundred other more mundane items.
Why now? The notification says simply, “The Department has an Urgent Operational Need (UON) for the capability to strike hard and deeply buried targets in high threat environments. The MOP is the weapon of choice to meet the requirements of the UON.” It further states that the request is endorsed by Pacific Command (which has responsibility over North Korea) and Central Command (which has responsibility over Iran).
The request was quietly approved. On Friday, McDonnell Douglas was awarded a $51.9 million contract to provide “Massive Penetrator Ordnance Integration” on B-2 aircraft.
This is not the kind of weapon that would be particularly useful in Iraq or Afghanistan, but it is ideally suited to hit deeply buried nuclear facilities such as Natanz or Qom in Iran.
I won’t hold my breath.
On the other hand, I just can’t wait.
On one hand don’t beleivi everything you hear on the other hand thank god
Speculation about military plans has its uses, but a UONS for this device is not new, and the device has many applications besides Iraq, Afghanaistan, or Iran.
Sounds great, but I highly doubt this will happen with this administration, just look how their handling afganistan.
Maybe they wanna give it to israel for a chanukah gift
Probably released to the news by the Obama administration to stall Israel from bombing Iran.
The only thing I can think of with this administration, they will drop it somewhere in New York City…
The best I feel the US would do, is maybe allow Israel to set up camp at an air force base in Iraq so they could do a bombing run from a nearby site- the hardest part of the bombing of Iraq in 1981 was the distance- then had no weapons on the F16’s coming back- they removed them all for external fuel tanks.
Iraq is a strategic place to start an attack. Also- maybe they would sell Israel some of these bunker busters.
Wouldnt want to think about this, but whats the chance that they would use it on Dimona, or threaten Israel that they will use it if ISrael bombs Iran?
Obama would never do it he’s way to weak the world knows he’ll never do it. the world knows Obama a joke just look how they laught in his face he hasnt got the world to do anything. his presidency is one big failure..
I don’t believe it!! What kind of water has ABC been drinking??
There is too much psychological warfare going on. Everyone knows that the Iranians will bomb out the oil installations and close off the Persian Gulf. And then hit Tel Aviv. Watch gas go to $15 a gallon! Maybe that’s what the west has in mind, destroy the world and start all over again with all of us turned into poor slaves……….
HALEVAI !