A mini-nuke is a low yield nuclear weapon which has much less explosive power than the most powerful nuclear weapons available. Such devices are also known as suitcase nukes when designed for sabotage operations.

Because of the relatively small yield, a state can plan to use these weapons while hoping to counter negative public reactions associated with nuclear war.

Any potential plan to produce mini-nukes by the United States has been blocked by the United States Congress, which prohibited the development of any nuclear weapons with a yield of less than five kilotons . Previously, tactical devices such as the Davy Crockett recoilless rifle offered yields under one hundred tons, but all existing devices in the U.S. arsenal have much higher yields. Nuclear bunker busters are a separate development, utilizing warheads with ten to several hundred kilotons of yield.

External links

• America and Iran: At the Brink of the Abyss, Jorge Hirsch, February 20, 2005
• report by the Federation of American Scientists January 2001
• Nuclear War Against Iran, Michel Chossudovsky, January 3, 2006
• Video torrent of a recording of Chossudovsky's presentation (mentioned above)
• A 'Legal' US Nuclear Attack Against Iran, Jorge Hirsch, November 12, 2005
• Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations report leaked from Pentagon, 23 September 2005.
• The Future of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile ACA panel discussion transcript, 25 January 2006, attended by Linton Brooks, Raymond Jeanloz, John Mosher and Daryl Kimball.

See also

• Nuclear bunker buster
• Reliable Replacement Warhead
• Stockpile stewardship
• Suitcase nuke
• Michael G. Vickers