The Pentagon is reported to be preparing contingency plans for the development and deployment of new types of smaller nuclear weapons better suited to the post-cold war world. 

Major U.S. news organizations Sunday quote from a Pentagon nuclear assessment that says the United States should plan for the possible use of nuclear weapons against countries that threaten it, such as China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria. 

The Pentagon report says the weapons could be used, for example, to penetrate deep into the earth to target underground bunkers holding chemical or biological weapons. 

Until now, it has been U.S. policy to use the threat of conventional weapons to deter the development of weapons of mass destruction. 

The Pentagon would not comment on the substance of the report. A Pentagon spokeswoman told the Associated Press the Defense Department will not discuss classified details of military planning or contingencies. She also said the Pentagon will not comment on what she called misleading leaks. 

U.S. newspapers say the contingency study, called the Nuclear Posture Review, was provided to members of congress earlier this year. 

A senior U.S. official is quoted as saying the nuclear contingency plan does not represent a change in U.S. policy and it does not make the use of nuclear weapons more likely. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there have long been contingency plans for dealing with threats. 

Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version