Obama Blocks Delivery of Bunker-Busters to Israel

Recently came across a post at The Astute Blogger on a story that has been buried by the MSM. It seems that the Obama administration has decided to divert a shipment of bunker-buster bombs from being delivered to a military base in Israel. After the recent flare-up during Biden's visit to Israel over the expansion of Jewish settlements in Jerusalem this seems a measure to punish the Jewish state. This is not the first punitive action taken by the Obama administration. Since taking office, Obama has refused all request from Israel for weapon platforms and advanced weapons. Obama has effectively cut off Israel from securing any advanced weaponry from the United States. A striking reversal from policies of past administrations. But then we have never had an Arab-American president before.

Obama blocks delivery of bunker-busters to Israel

The United States has diverted a shipment of bunker-busters designated for Israel.

Officials said the U.S. military was ordered to divert a shipment of smart bunker-buster bombs from Israel to a military base in Diego Garcia. They said the shipment of 387 smart munitions had been slated to join pre-positioned U.S. military equipment in Israel Air Force bases.
"This was a political decision," an official said.

In 2008, the United States approved an Israeli request for bunker-busters capable of destroying underground facilities, including Iranian nuclear weapons sites. Officials said delivery of the weapons was held up by the administration of President Barack Obama.

Since taking office, Obama has refused to approve any major Israeli requests for U.S. weapons platforms or advanced systems. Officials said this included proposed Israeli procurement of AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, refueling systems, advanced munitions and data on a stealth variant of the F-15E.

"All signs indicate that this will continue in 2010," a congressional source familiar with the Israeli military requests said. "This is really an embargo, but nobody talks about it publicly."

Under the plan, the U.S. military was to have stored 195 BLU-110 and 192 BLU-117 munitions in unspecified air force bases in Israel. The U.S. military uses four Israeli bases for the storage of about $400 million worth of pre-positioned equipment meant for use by either Washington or Jerusalem in any regional war.

In January 2010, the administration agreed to an Israeli request to double the amount of U.S. military stockpiles to $800 million. Officials said the bunker-busters as well as Patriot missile interceptors were included in the agreement.

The decision to divert the BLU munitions was taken amid the crisis between Israel and the United States over planned construction of Jewish homes in Jerusalem. The administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has warned that Washington could reduce military aid to Israel because of its construction policy. read full story at World Tribune

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The MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator)

Recently the Pentagon has revived speculation about an advanced "bunker buster" bomb. The original "mother of all bombs" was tested back in 2003, supposedly as a threat to Saddam Hussein's underground bunkers. This new version is said to be 10 times more powerful than the original version. Many view this announcement by the Pentagon as a move directed at Iran and North Korea. I see this announcement simply as a ploy directed at those two countries and not as a real threat. I do not feel the current administration will use such a weapon against Iran and certainly not against North Korea. The news of this massive "bunker buster" will fall on deaf ears in Tehran as we've not followed through with any of our previous threats. Sabre rattling will never work unless the sword is occasionally removed from its sheath.
Reuters reported today, “Pentagon eyes accelerated "bunker buster" bomb,” that the USAF was rushing development of a new bunker buster bomb, the 30,000 pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). It is a warning to both Iran and North Korea that the US had the conventional capability to hit reinforced nuclear facilities in both countries. An earlier version of the MOP, the 21,000 pound GBU 43 dubbed ‘the mother of all bombs’ had been successfully tested by the USAF 53rd Air Weapons Evaluation Group at the Tyndall Air Base range in Florida’s Panhandle in 2003. The precision-guided MOP could penetrate underground structures to a depth of 200 feet. Air Force spokespersons indicated the MOP could be available by mid-2010 pending Congressional authorization. The mammoth weapon could be delivered by either the aging fleet of B-52’s based in Diego Riviera in the Indian Ocean or by the B-2 Stealth bombers from bases in the US. As Secretary Gates was in Israel last week speaking with Israeli security officials and PM Netanyahu, perhaps those sessions prompted this Reuters report to show that the US was serious about playing a possible military option card in the media war against both Iran and North Korea. This comes on the heels of a London Times report this weekend that Iran has the capability of assembling a nuclear bomb, awaiting a decision from Supreme Ruler, Ayatollah Khamenei. Earlier in 2005 Israel had ordered delivery from the Pentagon of upwards of 100 5,300 pound laser-guided GBU-28’s for possible missions against Iranian nuclear facilities targets with its front-line F-15b’s. read more