US Military Seeks to Develop Nuclear Bomb 24 Times More Powerful than Hiroshima Device, Pending Congressional Approval

Proposed B61-13 Nuclear Bomb Intended to Counter Rising Global Nuclear Risks and Would Replace Existing Stock Without Increasing Total Number, Amid Rising Nuclear Capabilities of Russia and China

The US military has announced it will try to develop a new nuclear bomb, the B61-13, that would be 24 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. The creation of the weapon must first be approved and funded by Congress.
The announcement comes almost exactly a year after the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review, which called on the US to modernize its aging nuclear stockpile in light of the increasing nuclear capabilities of China and Russia.
The B61-13 would not represent an increase in the number of weapons in the US nuclear stockpile, but a replacement of older bombs. Its design would include modern safety and security features and increased accuracy, and it would be designed to attack large, hardened military targets.
The proposal has garnered cautious approval from top Republican members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, who argue that drastic change, not incremental adjustments, are required in US military posture against the ongoing arms race involving Russia and China.
Despite the evident increase in power, the announcement aligns with President Biden’s administration’s strategy of maintaining a balanced approach between having an effective nuclear deterrent and reducing global reliance on nuclear weapons.