Bush studies new nuclear weapons

WALTER PINCUS THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is studying the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons and strategic delivery systems at the same time it has announced its intention to sharply reduce the number of operationally deployed U.S. nuclear warheads.

The Nuclear Weapons Council, made up of officials from the Defense and Energy departments, has ordered a three-year study into developing a nuclear-tipped, earth-penetrating weapon that can destroy hardened underground targets. The administration has also established "advanced warhead concept teams" to work on new warheads or warhead modifications.

Both initiatives were proposed in a yearlong study, the Nuclear Posture Review, conducted under the direction of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and approved by President Bush.

Some groups are criticizing the Bush administration's plans. "Not since the resurgence of the Cold War in Ronald Reagan's first term has there been such an emphasis on nuclear weapons in U.S. defense strategy," said the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that specializes in analyzing U.S. nuclear weapons programs.

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