[Opinion] Nuclear Briefcases, Nuclear Backpacks

A “Nuclear Briefcase” is a “Black box” which communication equipment is in, and that nuclear powers such as the U.S. and Russia control nuclear weapons through. Presidents of the two nations always keep the briefcase near them during their term. When power is changed, a new president always takes care of the briefcase as the first thing. Undergoing heart surgery twice, the former president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, took the briefcase back, which had been sent to Prime Minister, as soon as he came out of the ether. It is because the nuclear briefcase symbolizes power as well as national security.

The U.S. and Russia have another nuclear briefcase. It is a small tactical nuclear bomb which has a power to tear down two or three high-storied buildings immediately, but only weighs 30kg as the lightest thing. SADM is its original name in U.S. It is also called a “nuclear backpack” because it looks like a rucksack and can be carried on the back. They say that it can be brought into the heart of enemy territory secretly and can be installed as a time bomb. However, the U.S and Russia have never exposed detailed information about this weapon, so its true existence is hidden in a veil although rumors have been spreading.

Lately, General Victor Yeshin, the former commander of Russia’s strategic missile force, officially mentioned this weapon, making it an issue. Russia’s army has been silent on the existence of this weapon officially. Therefore it was guessed that a special agency might be in charge of it. However, Yeshin said that it really exists and the strategic missile force possesses it, and also mentioned its name, RA115.

There was a hot controversy over the weapon in 1997 as well. Passing away in a helicopter accident two years ago, a politician affiliated with military general Alexander Lebed said, “48 backpacks disappeared among 132 nuclear backpacks which the old Soviet Union kept,” while revealing its existence for the first time. It was worried that those weapons might be in the hands of terror organizations such as North Korea or Al Qaeda because of poor management by Russia. In these times when world is shivering with fear of terror, usable nuclear rucksacks are more dangerous than the nuclear briefcases of super powers.

By Kim Ki-hyun, special correspondent to Moscow; kimkihy@donga.com