What I haven’t seen in this thread surprises me. No mention of N. Korea, and Iran and the bomb. While we have had all of our attention and resources in Iraq and Afghanistan, N. Korea has developed the bomb. IAEC has found Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) in an Iran dump site. This means they probably have a heavy water reactor that can develop a couple of bombs per year and our Intel groups completely missed it. Next year they are adding 3000 centrifuges which can add another 2 or 3 bombs per year. Who do you think they will use them on?
Not Israel because they want Palestine back for the Palestinians – that leave us. It is a small leap from the fission bomb to a Thermo-nuclear bomb with un-imaginable devastation.
Back in 1956 the US tested a device with the “Apache” design. It was a 3-part bomb expected to yield 700 kilotons of energy. The actual yield was 1.85 megatons. I mention this bomb because in 1956 it was cutting edge, and one of the first to overcome the need for liquid hydrogen to create the fusion process with very stable 6LiDeterorid. The first bomb was 40 feet long and 10 feet wide, the Apache was small enough to fit in a car trunk 3 ft x 6 ft. This was all very secret 50 years ago, and now the techniques are “well known” anyone could build this bomb if they had access to Plutonium or HEU. 1.85 megatons are enough to crater the greater San Diego area. Make no mistake they are coming, and we are not prepared. One device can destroy everyone and everything we hold dear.
This group of supposed hawks has been asleep at the helm, while our real threats have moved fifty years ahead in nuclear technology.