by Donald C. Whitmore
The Seattle City Council has been wrestling with whether to allow the Navy's Trident nuclear submarines at future Seafair celebrations. In a recent public forum hosted by the Council,I testified to concerns about exposing young children to the Trident. Specifically, I did not want to be put in a position of having to explain Trident to my grandchildren attending Seafair. Seattle Times columnist Susan Nielsen seized on my statement in an August 3 column, asking "Why Not?". Here is my answer.
The Trident sub is an offensive weapon system for launching a nuclear attack on anyone daring to threaten our shores or our off-shore interests. This mission is difficult, if not impossible, to explain to children. Even my grandchildren (who,of course, are exceptionally bright!) could not be expected to understand the subtleties of nuclear deterrence theory or mutually assured destruction. I doubt many adults really understand those esoteric concepts. I have four decades of defense analysis experience and notions like "minimum deterrence" are still mystifying! Notable defense experts such as Robert McNamara, General Lee Butler(ret.), General Charles Horner(ret.) and Paul Nitze once embraced those concepts but have since rejected them because they are now seen as contrary to national security.
But, my concern for a child's exposure to Trident runs much deeper. I do not want young people suffering nuclear nightmares upon hearing about the devastation caused by nuclear weapons. Does Susan Nielsen suggest we lie about this or avoid "nuclear nasties"? It won't work. My grandchildren have inquisitive, probing minds and will seek out the truth. Many kids would likely do the same. Simply put, I want to shield my grandchildren and other youth from the realities of nuclear weapons. If my grandchildren were to see the Trident docked in Seattle's harbor, the questions are inevitable. I don't want to either tell falsehoods or to reveal the truth. Our youth will be disillusioned soon enough as they enter adult life.
Suppose I were to tell the truth about Trident nuclear submarines. Here is what the children might hear as answers to their simple questions:
What is the Trident?
The Trident nuclear submarine can go anywhere in the ocean, where it hides until told to fire it's rockets. The rockets are like what we see at fireworks shows only much larger. Another word for rockets is "missiles". Instead of beautiful fireworks, the Trident missiles release bombs that can cross oceans to any target on land. A common target is a city. The bomb can be any explosive, but Trident missiles carry nuclear weapons.
What are nuclear weapons?
Nuclear weapons are different from any other weapon. Remember the loud explosion and bright lights you see in fireworks? Nuclear weapons have a much bigger bang and a much brighter light because the energy comes from a change inside tiny atoms. Atoms and molecules are the building blocks that make up all the things we can touch - rocks, toys, candy, dogs, cats, houses, playgrounds - just everything. A small change in the atoms causes this huge bang and bright light. It is similar to how our sun works in keeping us warm even though we are many millions of miles away.
Nuclear weapons are different in another way. They release very small particles that are poison to people. This poison has a big adult word- radioactivity. When the nuclear bomb explodes, this poison shoots out to kill people standing nearby. It also pollutes the ground and water for a very long time. Even worse, the big bang stirs up radioactive dust that drifts for many miles. This dust cloud is shaped like a giant mushroom and the falling dust is called radioactive fallout. The fallout can poison and kill people for many, many miles - even on the other side of the world.
It is hard to image the strong blast and bright light from a nuclear weapon. The blast is like a big wind that travels faster than a jet airplane. It knocks down just about everything in its path until it weakens. Buildings are crushed like they were made of paper. Only the strongest steel and concrete are left standing.
The bright light is also hard to imagine. The light is so strong it blinds anyone looking at it. The heat is so intense that it quickly burns everything nearby. Even a person standing one or two miles away will be burned to death. The crushed buildings are set on fire and many people are trapped in the flames. Persons standing further away are burned on exposed skin facing the blast. These burns can be so severe that skin falls off, leaving raw flesh. The pain is severe and there is no relief because hospitals are not prepared for the large number of burn victims. Many of these victims will die from infections. Many of the burn survivors will die later from the poisonous radioactive fallout.
Why do we need Trident?
Some think it is needed, others don't. Some think it keeps peace by scaring people from making war. Others think it just scares people and brings no peace. The Trident was started when there was a nation called the Soviet Union that was also building nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union collapsed long ago - before some of you were born. Trident is no longer needed for national security.
Should the Seattle City Council pass a resolution banning Trident from future Seafair celebrations? Adults may be able to handle nuclear issues, but children should be spared the specter of nuclear war. I hope common sense and responsibility to our youth will ultimately prevail.