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TheWaronYemen,AmericasPlanstoUseNuclearWeaponsagainsttheMiddleEast
ByProfMichelChossudovsky
GlobalResearch,June02,2015
Region:MiddleEast&NorthAfrica
Theme:MilitarizationandWMD
IndepthReport:NuclearWar
print1705243146632
TheUSAFB2SpiritStealthBomber:"AnInstrumentofPeace"...
UnconfirmedreportsbasedonavideoreleasedatedMay20,2015pointtoamassiveand
unprecedentedbombexplosioninYemen.
Thereportssuggestwithoutcorroboratingevidencethattheexplosioncouldhavebeenthe
resultofanuclearstrike,usingatacticalnuclearweapon.Thereisnoevidencetothateffect.
Whateverthenatureofthisexplosion,itconstitutesacrimeagainsthumanity.
WhilethereisnoconcreteevidencethattheUSledalliancehasusednukesagainstYemen,the
broaderissueofnuclearwaragainsttheMiddleEastis,nonetheless,ofutmostrelevance.
Washingtonsnuclearagendaasdefinedbythe2001NuclearPostureReview(2001)consists
indevelopingitstacticalnucleararsenalforuseagainstnonnuclearStates.
Since2002,USNATOtacticalnuclearweaponstargetingtheMiddleEastarefullydeployed.
Tacticalnuclearweaponsorsocalledmininukesarebunkerbusterbombsequippedwitha
nuclearwarhead.Theirexplosivecapacity(e.g.theB6111)variesbetweenonethirdandsix
timesaHiroshimabomb.
Theimage(right)isaB6111tacticalnuclearbomb,whichcanbelaunchedeitherfromaB2
bomberoranF16.
TheB6111isabonfidethermonuclearbomb,aWeaponofMassDestruction(WMD)inthe
realsenseoftheword.

Sofartheevidenceisscanty.Therearenoreportsontheaftermathoftheallegedstrikein
Yemenwhichwouldprovidefurtherinformation.
Themainstreammediahasnotcoveredtheissue.Thematterrequiresfurtherinvestigationin
thecontextofalongstandingUSagendatousenuclearweaponsagainsttargetsintheMiddle
East.
Video:TheYemenBombExplosion

NuclearAttacksagainstcountriesintheMiddleEast
TheallegedyetunconfirmeduseofmininukesagainstYemenraisesthebroaderissueofUS
nucleardoctrine:
TacticalnuclearweaponsormininukesarepartoftheUSNATOarsenal.
TheywereclearedforuseintheconventionalwartheaterbytheUSSenatein2002.
TheycanbeusedwithouttheapprovaloftheCommanderinChief;
TheUSmilitarycontendsthatmininukesarehumanitarianbombswhichminimize
collateraldamage.AccordingtoscientificopiniononcontracttothePentagon,theyare
harmlesstothesurroundingcivilianpopulationbecausetheexplosionisunderground.
WhilethescantyevidenceofanuclearattackagainstYemenremainsunconfirmed,theuse
ofmininukesagainstcountriesintheMiddleEasthasbeenonthePentagonsdrawingboard
foralmost20years.In1996undertheClintonadministration,theB6111tacticalnuclear
weaponwasslatedtobeusedbytheUSinanattackagainstLibya.

B6111
ThemanbehindthisdiabolicalprojecttonukeLibyawasAssistantSecretaryofDefense
HaroldPalmerSmithJunior.EvenbeforetheB61cameonline,Libyawasidentifiedasa
potentialtarget.(BulletinoftheAtomicScientistsSeptember/October1997,p.27,
emphasisadded)
HaroldPalmerSmithhadbeenappointedbyPresidentBillClintontooverseenuclear,
chemical,andbiologicaldefenseprogramswithafocusonthereductionandmaintenanceof
theUSarsenalofnuclearweapons.Fromtheoutset,hisactualmandate,wasnottoreduce
buttoincreasethenucleararsenalbypromotingthedevelopmentofanewgenerationof
harmlessmininukesforuseintheMiddleEastwartheater.

TheDepartmentofDefensesobjectiveunderHaroldSmithsadvicewastofasttrackthe
testingoftheB6111nuclearbombonanactualcountryintheMiddleEast.
Fivemonthsafter[AssistantDefenseSecretary]HaroldSmithcalledforanaccelerationofthe
B6111productionschedule,hewentpublicwithanassertionthattheAirForcewouldusethe
B6111[nuclearweapon]againstLibya(http://www.nukestrat.com/us/afn/B6111.htm,)
WhilethePentagonlaterdenieditsintentiontobombLibyasTarhunahplant,itnonetheless
confirmedthatWashingtonwouldnotruleoutusingnuclearweapons[againstLibya].(Ibid.,
emphasisadded.)
WhatistherelevanceofthehistoryoftheB6111tacticalnuclearbombandtheearlierthreats
directedbytheClintonadministrationagainstLibya?
WastheprojecttonukeLibyashelved?
ArecountriesintheMiddleEastpotentialtargetsforanuclearattack?(Forfurtherdetails,see
MichelChossudovsky,DangerousCrossroads:IsAmericaConsideringtheUseofNuclear
WeaponsagainstLibya?GlobalResearch,April2011).
originalThetacticalnuclearweaponswerespecificallydevelopedforuseinpostColdWar
conventionalconflictswiththirdworldnations.InOctober2001,intheimmediatewakeof
9/11,DefenseSecretaryDonaldRumsfeldenvisagedtheuseoftheB6111inAfghanistan.The
targetswereAlQaedacavebunkersintheToraBoramountains.
Rumsfeldstatedatthetimethatwhiletheconventionalbunkerbusterbombsaregoingto
beabletodothejob,hedidnotruleouttheeventualuseofnuclearweapons.(Quotedin
theHoustonChronicle,20October2001,emphasisadded.)
TheuseoftheB6111wasalsocontemplatedduringthe2003bombingandinvasionofIraqas
wellasinthe2011NATObombingsofLibya.
Inthisregard,theB6111wasdescribedasaprecise,earthpenetratinglowyieldnuclear
weaponagainsthighvalueundergroundtargets,whichincludedSaddamHusseins
undergroundbunkers:
IfSaddamwasarguablythehighestvaluetargetinIraq,thenagoodcasecouldbemadefor
usinganuclearweaponliketheB6111toassurekillinghimanddecapitatingtheregime
(.DefenseNews,December8,2003).
Thereisnodocumentaryevidence,however,thattheB6111wasusedagainstIraq.
TheuseofmininukesagainstnonnuclearstatesintheMiddleEastasdefinedbythe2001
NuclearPostureReviewremainsonthePentagonsdrawingboard.Moreover,theB6111
tacticalnuclearweapon(MadeinAmerica)aswellastheB6112upgradehavebeendeployed
foruseagainsttargetsintheMiddleEastincludingIran,SyriaandLibyabyseveralEuropean
countriesincludingfivenonnuclearstates(Belgium,Germany,Italy,Netherlands,Turkey).

ThenewB6112isa50kilotonweapon,whichwouldbedeliveredbytheF35fighterjet.
Accordingtoreports,Israelalsohasanarsenaloftacticalnuclearweapons.

Source:FederationofAmericanScientists
TheNatureofTheYemenExplosion
WhiletheYemenexplosioninthevideo(above)appearssimilartothatofaB6111tactical
nuclearbombwithamushroomcloud,itisworthnotingthattheconventionalMassOrdnance
Penetrator(MOP)bombtriggersasimilarexplosion.
ThelargestconventionalbombintheUSarsenalisthesocalledMassOrdnancePenetrator
(MOP)ortheMotherofAllBombs(MOAB)(seeimagesbelow).TheexplosionofaMOP
(whichisaconventionalweapon)is(accordingtophotographicevidence)similartothat
recordedintheYemenvideo.Moreover,accordingtounconfirmedreports,theMOPwasused
duringthewaronIraq.
Inotherwords,thenatureoftheexplosiondoesnotinitselfprovethatitwastheresultofa
(tactical)nuclearstrike.ItcouldhavebeenaMOPorabunkerbusterbombexplosion.But
eveninthiscase,theevidenceisscanty.
BoththeMOPandthemininukesarebunkerbusterearthpenetratingbombs.TheMOP
howeverisaconventionalweapon.Itdoesnothaveanuclearwarhead.
ItisworthnotingthatinmidJanuary2015,twomonthspriortotheonslaughtoftheSaudi
bombingcampaignagainstYemen,thePentagonwasinvolvedinthetestingofthelargest
bombinitsarsenal,animprovedversionofthebunkerbusterMassOrdnancePenetrator
(MOP),developedbyBoeing.
archivephotoofMOABexplosion
Accordingtoreports,TheMassOrdnancePenetratore.g.MOPGBU57,wouldbedelivered
witheitheraB52oraB2bomberduetoitsweight.ThedecisiontoundertakeaMOPstrike
wouldemanatefromUSGlobalStrikeCommand.

GBU57A/BMassOrdnancePenetrator(MOP)
Thereareindications,however,thatalighterMOPmissilehasbeendeveloped.Accordingto
AirForceMagazine,USAFLt.Gen.PhillipBreedlove(currentlyCommanderinChiefofNATO)
statedinJune2010thattheNextgenerationPenetratorMunitionshouldbeaboutathirdthe
sizeoftheMassiveOrdnancePenetratorsoitcouldbecarriedbyaffordableaircraft.

IntheimagebelowaB52bomberreleasesaMOP,escortedbyaF16.TheMOPisatele
guidedmissile.
B52droppingaMOPescortedbyanF16duringatesttrail.
TheB2bomberoperatesoutofaUSAirforcebaseinMissouri.Withrefuellingitcanbe
deployedWorldwide.TheB2canbeusedtodeliveraMassOrdnancePenetrator(MOP)
missileoratacticalnuclearbomb.

MotherofAllBombs(MOAB)
CopyrightProfMichelChossudovsky,GlobalResearch,2015
SHOPGLOBALRESEARCH
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print1705242146632
Articlesby:
ProfMichelChossudovsky
Abouttheauthor:
MichelChossudovskyisanawardwinningauthor,ProfessorofEconomics(emeritus)atthe
UniversityofOttawa,FounderandDirectoroftheCentreforResearchonGlobalization(CRG),
Montreal,EditorofGlobalResearch.HehastaughtasvisitingprofessorinWesternEurope,
SoutheastAsia,thePacificandLatinAmerica.Hehasservedaseconomicadviserto
governmentsofdevelopingcountriesandhasactedasaconsultantforseveralinternational
organizations.HeistheauthorofelevenbooksincludingTheGlobalizationofPovertyandThe
NewWorldOrder(2003),AmericasWaronTerrorism(2005),TheGlobalEconomicCrisis,
TheGreatDepressionoftheTwentyfirstCentury(2009)(Editor),TowardsaWorldWarIII
Scenario:TheDangersofNuclearWar(2011),TheGlobalizationofWar,America'sLongWar
againstHumanity(2015).HeisacontributortotheEncyclopaediaBritannica.Hiswritings
havebeenpublishedinmorethantwentylanguages.In2014,hewasawardedtheGoldMedal
forMeritoftheRepublicofSerbiaforhiswritingsonNATO'swarofaggressionagainst
Yugoslavia.Hecanbereachedatcrgeditor@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:Thecontentsofthisarticleareofsoleresponsibilityoftheauthor(s).TheCentre
forResearchonGlobalizationwillnotberesponsibleforanyinaccurateorincorrectstatement
inthisarticle.TheCenterofResearchonGlobalizationgrantspermissiontocrosspostoriginal
GlobalResearcharticlesoncommunityinternetsitesaslongasthetext&titlearenot
modified.Thesourceandtheauthor'scopyrightmustbedisplayed.ForpublicationofGlobal

Researcharticlesinprintorotherformsincludingcommercialinternetsites,contact:
publications@globalresearch.ca
www.globalresearch.cacontainscopyrightedmaterialtheuseofwhichhasnotalwaysbeen
specificallyauthorizedbythecopyrightowner.Wearemakingsuchmaterialavailabletoour
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thosewhohaveexpressedapriorinterestinreceivingitforresearchandeducationalpurposes.
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