Massive Ordnance Penetrator Being Acquired by US Military

ABC News is reporting that the US military has requested and has gotten funds to develop and acquire the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The Massive Ordnance Penetrator is a 30,000 pound bomb designed to destroy underground bunkers.

The procurement of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator has been ongoing since 2007, but recently the Pentagon has shifted funds from other accounts to accelerate the development and acquisition of the weapon. A request was sent to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to shift the funds. According to ABC News, "The comptroller said the Pentagon planned to spend $19.1 million to procure four of the bombs, $28.3 million to accelerate the bomb's "development and testing", and $21 million to accelerate the integration of the bomb onto B-2 stealth bombers."

The committees approved the request, which was endorsed by both the Pacific Command and the Central Command, almost immediately.

The acceleration of the development of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator suggests that the Pentagon, at least, is anxious to have the option of striking not only at Iranian, but North Korean nuclear facilities, which are heavily armored and buried in deep, underground bunkers. How far up the order came to accelerate the acquisition came from is unclear, but the almost immediate agreement of the Congressional appropriators suggests that the order came from the President.

If the order to accelerate the acquisition of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator came from the President, the only conclusion is that the administration is starting to lose patience with the slow and futile pace of diplomacy as a means to keep Iran non nuclear and denuclearizing North Korea. That means that the military option is being brought forward off of the back burner.

To what extent a strike against, say, Iran will be is unclear. It is possible that President Obama will order a limited strike, only directed against Iran's nuclear facilities. Most military strategists suggest that a broad air and missile campaign will be needed, backed by a naval blockade, targeting all elements of Iranian power, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, with an eye toward regime change.

A strike against North Korean targets would entail even greater peril. China and Russia would almost certainly object. North Korea might just got to war, which would be both ruinous and bloody for all parties concerned.

On the other hand, the Obama administration might have leaked the information about the Massive Ordnance Penetrator as a way to pressure both Iran and North Korea to negotiate in good faith. That being the case, it would be interesting to see if it will work without a resort to military action.

Source: Is the US Preparing to Bomb Iran?, Jonathon Karl, ABC News, October 6th, 2009