Washington, DC: National Research Council (NRC), National Academies Press, 2005. – 143 p.Nuclear earth-penetrator weapons, such as those described as robust nuclear earth penetrator (RNEP) weapons, are controversial. Part of the controversy has been about whether a nuclear earth-penetrator could be designed to defeat a deeply buried hard target but not cause any collateral surface damage, such as that attributable to fallout. Another question is whether chemical and biological agents can be defeated by conventional weapons.
To gather information for this report, the committee (Committee on the Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons, National Research Council) received briefings from the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), and individuals, in classified and open sessions. This input included information on potential targets, such as their numbers, location, functions, hardening characteristics, and contents. The committee also received information on after-action investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The committee requested that the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) estimate the numbers of casualties for a range of nuclear weapons’ yields and depths of burst for several target areas.Contents.
Summary.
Introduction.
Hard and deeply buried targets.
Earth-penetrator weapons.
Effectiveness of nuclear weapons against hard and deeply buried targets.
Fallout and tools for calculating effects of release of hazardous materials.
Human and environmental effects.
Conventional weapons.
Uncertainty in estimates of effects.
Conclusions.
Appendixes.
Summary.
