Pentagon Announces Pursuit of Major New Nuclear Weapon

U.S. officials say they want Congress to approve a new nuclear weapon, reportedly 24 times stronger than the Hiroshima atom bomb.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Jan. 10, 2016. The powerful U.S. B-52 bomber flew low over South Korea on Sunday, a clear show of force from the United States as a Cold War-style standoff deepened between its ally Seoul and North Korea following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

The Department of Defense (DOD) announced that it will pursue the development of a nuclear bomb that’s much more powerful than the ones dropped on Japan during World War II.

The Pentagon will seek congressional approval to manufacture a modern version of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, or the B61-13, according to a DOD statement.