Latest news with #Cancian
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
This ‘Bunker Buster' U.S. Bomb Could Cripple Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
The best shot at knocking out the most fortified part of Iran's nuclear program comes down to a giant U.S. bomb that has never been used in war. The GBU-57—also called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator—is a 30,000-pound behemoth encased in a high-density steel alloy designed to plummet through 200 feet of mountain rock before exploding. Military analysts said that large bunker buster has the best chance of getting through to such targets as the Fordow uranium-enrichment facility, which Iran buried under a mountain. Its existence has driven speculation that the U.S. could get involved in Israel's attack. 'This is really what it was designed for,' said Mark Cancian, who matched bombs to targets in the military and later worked at the Pentagon on procurement and budgeting, including for programs like the MOP. Before bunker busters, the military figured it could turn to nuclear weapons to blast through mountains, but those were seen as unpalatable for political reasons, said Cancian, now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Later, the U.S. worked on a new conventional alternative and spent about $400 million to develop and refine the MOP, he said. The U.S. now has around 20 of the giant explosives, he said, designed to be delivered by B-2 stealth bombers. 'It's a really specialized weapon for a very specialized set of targets that don't come up very often,' Cancian said. Israel on Friday launched a campaign of intelligence operations and hundreds of airstrikes aimed at setting back Iran's nuclear program and hobbling its regime. Israel notched direct hits on Iran's underground centrifuge halls at Natanz, some 140 miles south of Tehran, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But it has yet to attack Iran's other enrichment site, Fordow, in central Iran, near the holy city of Qom. The U.S., which hasn't joined Israel in the attacks, began building up its military assets in the region in recent days, including bringing in a second aircraft-carrier group. President Trump, who has pushed for a diplomatic solution all year, has turned more bellicose, suggesting Tuesday on social media that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be killed and calling for unconditional surrender. If the U.S. were to get involved, it would make sense for it to take on hardened targets like Fordow and Natanz, said Mick Mulroy, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. Destroying them could take half a dozen MOPs apiece, he said. The United Nations atomic-energy chief has warned of safety concerns from attacking nuclear sites, but other nuclear experts say the radiation risks of an attack on Fordow are low. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported radiological and chemical contamination inside Natanz, which was bombed Friday, but normal radiation outside. 'If anything were to be dropped on Fordow, there is not a risk of radiation contamination from the attack outside of the site,' said Scott Roecker, vice president for nuclear materials security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative think tank. Israel has a plan for Fordow and the ability to carry it out on its own, a senior Israeli military official said without elaborating. It is also taking a broader view of its mission by attacking Iran's military leadership and nuclear scientists as well as components of the nuclear program itself. Ehud Eilam, a former researcher for Israel's Ministry of Defense, said Israel could send a large number of its own, smaller penetrator bombs to dig their way into Fordow, as Israel did when it killed the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a bunker under Beirut. It could also try a risky commando raid or more-covert means such as cyberattacks and targeted killings, he said. An MOP dropped by a B-2 bomber could be simpler and better. 'The approach with the highest confidence of success would be a U.S. strike,' said William Wechsler, who was deputy assistant defense secretary for special operations under President Barack Obama. Write to Benoit Faucon at Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
Mint
18-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
This ‘bunker buster' US bomb could cripple Iran's nuclear ambitions
The best shot at knocking out the most fortified part of Iran's nuclear program comes down to a giant U.S. bomb that has never been used in war. The GBU-57—also called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator—is a 30,000-pound behemoth encased in a high-density steel alloy designed to plummet through 200 feet of mountain rock before exploding. Military analysts said that large bunker buster has the best chance of getting through to such targets as the Fordow uranium-enrichment facility, which Iran buried under a mountain. Its existence has driven speculation that the U.S. could get involved in Israel's attack. 'This is really what it was designed for," said Mark Cancian, who matched bombs to targets in the military and later worked at the Pentagon on procurement and budgeting, including for programs like the MOP. Before bunker busters, the military figured it could turn to nuclear weapons to blast through mountains, but those were seen as unpalatable for political reasons, said Cancian, now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Later, the U.S. worked on a new conventional alternative and spent about $400 million to develop and refine the MOP, he said. The U.S. now has around 20 of the giant explosives, he said, designed to be delivered by B-2 stealth bombers. 'It's a really specialized weapon for a very specialized set of targets that don't come up very often," Cancian said. Israel on Friday launched a campaign of intelligence operations and hundreds of airstrikes aimed at setting back Iran's nuclear program and hobbling its regime. Israel notched direct hits on Iran's underground centrifuge halls at Natanz, some 140 miles south of Tehran, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But it has yet to attack Iran's other enrichment site, Fordow, in central Iran, near the holy city of Qom. The U.S., which hasn't joined Israel in the attacks, began building up its military assets in the region in recent days, including bringing in a second aircraft-carrier group. President Trump, who has pushed for a diplomatic solution all year, has turned more bellicose, suggesting Tuesday on social media that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be killed and calling for unconditional surrender. If the U.S. were to get involved, it would make sense for it to take on hardened targets like Fordow and Natanz, said Mick Mulroy, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. Destroying them could take half a dozen MOPs apiece, he said. The United Nations atomic-energy chief has warned of safety concerns from attacking nuclear sites, but other nuclear experts say the radiation risks of an attack on Fordow are low. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported radiological and chemical contamination inside Natanz, which was bombed Friday, but normal radiation outside. 'If anything were to be dropped on Fordow, there is not a risk of radiation contamination from the attack outside of the site," said Scott Roecker, vice president for nuclear materials security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative think tank. Israel has a plan for Fordow and the ability to carry it out on its own, a senior Israeli military official said without elaborating. It is also taking a broader view of its mission by attacking Iran's military leadership and nuclear scientists as well as components of the nuclear program itself. Ehud Eilam, a former researcher for Israel's Ministry of Defense, said Israel could send a large number of its own, smaller penetrator bombs to dig their way into Fordow, as Israel did when it killed the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a bunker under Beirut. It could also try a risky commando raid or more-covert means such as cyberattacks and targeted killings, he said. An MOP dropped by a B-2 bomber could be simpler and better. 'The approach with the highest confidence of success would be a U.S. strike," said William Wechsler, who was deputy assistant defense secretary for special operations under President Barack Obama. Write to Benoit Faucon at
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Qatari plane needs so many upgrades it may face flight restrictions and need a military escort
The plane offered to President Donald Trump by Qatar may be subjected to flight restrictions outside the U.S. and require a military escort because it's not prepared to safely carry the president. Despite politicians and the public having intense reservations over accepting the gifted jet, Trump has made it clear he plans to utilize the airplane. If the plan goes ahead, the plane would have to undergo massive renovations to be outfitted with the correct security and communication systems to serve as Air Force One. In the meantime, the plane may face limitations in order to ensure the president's safety, such as no international travel or flying with military escort jets, former officials told Reuters. Air Force One is designed to ensure the president's safety while traveling and allow the team to communicate securely. Those planes are outfitted with state-of-the-art defensive equipment, in-flight refueling capability and specific communications technology, current and former officials told the Washington Post. For the plane offered by Qatar, a Boeing 747-8, to meet those same standards, it would need to be ripped apart in a costly and lengthy renovation. Or, to avoid that and allow Trump to use the plane sooner, the president would likely have to disregard current security measures or find alternative methods to make up for security concerns. As commander-in-chief, Trymp could wave any and all safety requirements, however, an Air Force official told Reuters. Richard Aboulafia, the managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm, told Reuters that a military escort may be necessary because the plane doesn't have 'the electronic warfare and missile warning system and whatever else you associate with survivability on Air Force One.' He added that travel in the plane could also be limited to domestic flights since the U.S. cannot ensure the same level of security in international air spaces. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reiterated how intense the security measures on Air Force One are supposed to be. "Air Force One is designed to be survivable in all kinds of environments, including a nuclear war," Cancian told Reuters. Air Force One does not typically fly alongside fighter jet escorts. Cancian expressed doubt over the feasibility of short-term upgrades allowing the president to use the Qatari jet. 'I don't think it's possible,' Cancian added.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Frantic Refugees, Helicopters Pushed Overboard: Memories of the Fall of Saigon 50 Years Later
Fifty years later, the surreal images of U.S. sailors and Marines scrambling to push, drag and muscle helicopters overboard into the sea in 1975 remain emblematic of America's long and ultimately futile effort to win "hearts and minds" in Vietnam. The helicopters had to go to make room for more helicopters carrying Americans and South Vietnamese to land aboard the ships of naval Task Force 76, which had been assembled off the coast to aid in evacuations as North Vietnamese regulars pressed to take Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and end the war in April of that year. There had been some talk aboard the ships about the Marines possibly going ashore to take positions on the Vung Tau peninsula to serve as an assembly point, but then-Marine 2nd Lt. Mark Cancian recalled that "all we ended up doing was searching for refugees and throwing helicopters into the South China Sea." Read Next: Defense Department to Review List of Medical Conditions that Disqualify Potential Recruits from Serving Cancian, who was aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Dubuque, said "everything that could fly was flying out of Saigon, but there was no room on the flight deck to put them. As soon as it landed, we took anything salvageable and pushed it over into the water." "It was tragic, just so many South Vietnamese that we could not get out," said Cancian, now a senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Vietnamese who could not get aboard the helicopters took to small boats and came down the Saigon River to meet the U.S. ships. "Someone called it the 'Saigon Regatta,'" Cancian said. "They came alongside. We brought some into the well deck, then pushed the boats off and sank them. People were desperate." "We knew the end of the fighting was near, and the evacuation of Saigon was coming," said retired Rear Adm. Larry Chambers, who commanded the USS Midway aircraft carrier in Task Force 76. Chambers had off-loaded all of his fixed-wing aircraft and took on helicopters to prepare for the evacuation. "We brought them in two at a time," the 95-year-old Chambers said of the helicopters flying out of Saigon, packed with civilians and the few belongings they could carry. There is no official count of how many helicopters were pushed overboard during the Operation Frequent Wind evacuations, although varying estimates put the number at 40-50, but Chambers wanted it known that none of the helicopters he ordered to be scuttled were Navy helicopters. "Not a single thing I pushed over the side had U.S. Navy on it -- there was Air Force, Army, Air America and more all over the side," but no aircraft with Navy insignia, Chambers said. "I figured it wasn't going to make any difference in how long I'd be in jail." Chambers spoke Sunday on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego at ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and to honor the rescue missions flown as part of Operation Frequent Wind. The ceremony aboard the Midway was one of the few to mark the 50th anniversary of the evacuations in the U.S., in contrast to the parades, flyovers and other events in Vietnam honoring those who fought in what the Vietnamese call the "American War." In the run-up to the national holiday marking the anniversary, Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Nen told Vietnamese media that "it must be affirmed that it was a war of national defense, not about winning or losing. On the day peace came, there were mixed emotions -- some felt joy, others sorrow. But after 50 years, personal sorrow needs to merge with the joy of the nation." It was unclear whether U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper or other U.S. officials in Vietnam would be attending any of the 50th anniversary events. The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump had barred Knapper from going to the events, and NPR reported Tuesday that Knapper's name did not appear on the guest list for one of the main anniversary events in Ho Chi Minh City. The White House and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi did not respond to queries from In all,1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and third-country nationals were flown out to the ships from various locations in Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind on April 29-30, 1975, according to the Defense Department. The pre-planned signal for the evacuees to begin moving to extraction points came when American Forces Radio began playing Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas.' Earlier, more than 50,000 people evacuated using fixed-wing aircraft flying out of Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, but President Gerald Ford ordered those flights canceled after rocket fire killed two Marine security guards at Tan Son Nhut. Cpl. Charles McMahon and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge were the last two combat deaths in a war that killed more than 58,000 U.S. service members. In Washington on April 29, 1975, then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger went to the White House press room to give an update on Operation Frequent Wind and take questions. Would he favor U.S. aid to rebuild North Vietnam -- he would not. What was the goal of U.S. military and diplomatic efforts in the last year -- peace with honor. Then Kissinger was asked whether the entire U.S. involvement in blood and treasure in Vietnam had been in vain. He replied: "It is clear that the war did not achieve the objectives of those who started the original involvement." Related: British General Gave Order 250 Years Ago that Sparked Revolution in What Became America
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Russians captured a US Bradley, and now they really want their own
The Russians have gotten a closeup look at an M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and seem to like it better than their own armored vehicles. The Bradley offers more protection and can fire more accurately than its Russian equivalent, the BMP-3, according to a Russian report that was leaked onto a Telegram channel earlier this month. Experts told Task & Purpose that the report appears to be legitimate. The United States began providing Ukraine with Bradleys in January 2023. The following year, drone video emerged showing two Ukrainian Bradley Fighting Vehicles scoring hit after hit against a Russian T-90 tank with their 25mm cannons. The captured M2A2 may have allowed the Russians to use live ammunition against a Bradley in testing for the first time, said Steven Zaloga, an expert on Russian and Soviet armor. Finding out the Bradley is better than the BMP-3 should not have been a surprise to the Russians, as reports about the Bradley's operational performance are readily available, said retired Marine Col. J.D. Williams, of the RAND Corporation. 'Having an actual vehicle does enable the Russians to confirm those reports (they may have been skeptical of the reporting and attributed some of those reports to western propaganda) and to understand the detailed materials and construction of the various components, in particular the armor protection, optics, and combat systems,' Williams told Task & Purpose in an email. The differences between the Bradley and BMP-3 represent how the U.S. and Russian philosophies diverge, Williams said. First, the Soviets and then the Russians built their fighting vehicles under the assumption that they would lose many of them in battle, so they emphasized firepower over crew protection. The Bradley may have a better main gun than the BMP-3, but the Russian vehicle has more weapons available, he said. 'Fielding a large number of vehicles that were easy to operate and had a lot of firepower was more important than having a smaller number of high-end systems,' Williams said. 'Other deficiencies highlighted in the report reflect long-standing Russian limitations in development and fielding of technical or precision components like electronics, optics, and combat systems that give the Bradley a huge advantage in battlefield performance.' However, the Russian analysis of the Bradley vs. the BMP-3 was not entirely one-sided, said retired Marine Col. Mark Cancian, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C. The Russians did find that the Bradley had more protection against mines, bullets, and projectiles, and they have more space for crews, Cancian told Task & Purpose. But the report also found that the BMP-3 is better than the Bradley in other areas, such as its ability to float, and the BMP-3s also have more firepower, including a 100mm gun and 30mm autocannon, Cancian said. Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron The Marine Corps has settled the debate over the size of a rifle squad Leg day: Army cuts down on number of paid parachutists Navy commissions its newest submarine, the USS Iowa Why veterans are the real target audience for 'Helldivers 2'
