Greg Barton said that the U.S. might consider using tactical nuclear bunker-buster bombs on nuclear facilities at Pickaxe Mountain [1].
Such a move would represent a critical shift in military strategy, potentially transforming a localized conflict into a global nuclear crisis. The risk involves the unpredictable nature of tactical weaponry and the likelihood of a retaliatory response from opposing forces.
Barton, the University Global Islamic Politics Chair, said the likelihood of this scenario is low but noted it remains a possibility during an escalating conflict [1]. He said that officials within the Pentagon might eventually question the utility of tactical nuclear weapons to neutralize hardened facilities [1].
"There is the low probability, but not insignificant possibility that at some point in an escalating conflict somebody in the Pentagon says, Why don’t we just use tactical nuclear weapons–bunker–buster bombs on those nuclear facilities," Barton said [1].
The focus on Pickaxe Mountain stems from the site's role in housing critical nuclear infrastructure. Because these facilities are often buried deep underground, conventional munitions may be insufficient to destroy them, leading to the consideration of specialized nuclear yields.
Barton said that crossing this threshold would be catastrophic. He said that using such weapons "would open a Pandora’s box of escalation" [1].
This warning highlights the tension between the desire to neutralize strategic threats and the danger of initiating a nuclear exchange. The use of tactical weapons, smaller in scale than strategic warheads, is often viewed as a way to limit damage, but critics argue it lowers the barrier to full-scale nuclear war [1].
“"That would open a Pandora’s box of escalation."”
The discussion regarding Pickaxe Mountain underscores a growing debate over the 'nuclear threshold.' By suggesting that the U.S. might employ tactical bunker-busters, Barton is highlighting the danger of 'escalation dominance,' where a superpower attempts to deter an enemy by using a limited nuclear strike, only to find that the opponent views such an act as a justification for total war.
