The “Mother of All Bombs” Signals a Turn Away From Transparency by the Trump White House
Trump’s insistence on keeping secrets from the nation heightens
By Ohad Klopman
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
ON THURSDAY, APRIL 13th, the U.S. MILITARY RELEASED the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat. Known as the Massive Ordnance Air Bomb, or MOAB, this explosive is capable of detonating while still in the air, releasing shock waves, fire spouts, and chaos in all directions.
The bomb weighs 21,000 pounds — 10 times as heavy as the next largest bomb in the military’s arsenal. It rivals even some nuclear bombs in weight: Fat Man, the larger of the two nuclear bombs used on Japan back in WWII, only weighed half of the MOAB: 10,300 pounds.
Despite the massive capabilities of the MOAB, its purpose on Thursday was unexciting at best. The bomb detonated over a relatively remote ISIS outpost in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, intended not on killing, but on destroying the tunnels ISIS had been operating in the area. Afghan officials in the area claim the bomb did just that, as well as killing as many as 36 militants. The military made sure that no civilians were in the area when the bomb struck.
Despite the seemingly innocuous use of the bomb, the process of deploying it calls into question the transparency of our government. According to military spokespeople, Gen. John Nicholson had the authority to unleash such destructive bombs without the authority of the President, the Secretary of Defense, or Congress. President Trump claims this allows the military to be more efficient, removing red tape and obstacles to the war-making process. Without having to go through the Commander in Chief, the military can deploy its bombs wherever and whenever it deems necessary. We are lucky that we know about Thursday’s MOAB. Military proceedings are confidential. As long as it doesn’t have to go through the White House, the public can never be certain if our government and our military is working in a clean, fair, and safe way.
According to a DOD assessment, each MOAB costs approximately $170,000 to construct. But even this number cannot be trusted. The DOD claims that they do not have an accurate figure because every MOAB was constructed “in-house” and not by a private company. Because private companies in the military-industrial complex sign contracts with Congress, the federal government— and therefore the public — has records of everything. When the military builds weapons itself, it is not required to maintain such specific records. There is no proof anywhere to support the $170,000 claim. The ambiguity demands skepticism. Until the military becomes more transparent with its expenses, we have every right to believe nothing.
Then again, one might call it a miracle that President Trump is kept away from the bombs. To that I will agree, but it still leaves the problem that the Trump administration is getting less and less transparent every day. Just last week, Trump announced that the White House will not be releasing the names of its visitors. Clearly, Trump wants to keep secrets from the country he is supposed to serve.
Remember, too, how Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was found in multiple secret contracts with Russia. The Trump administration is riddled with shady dealings and hidden figures, and now that Trump has made his list of visitors private, we have no reason to trust that our President is working for our best interest as a country. Some things deserve to be kept confidential, but matters of diplomacy are never so urgent that they are worth keeping secret. What is Trump hiding? There are no answers, nor can there be any answers, until our President comes clean.
The same issue is seen with the MOAB. Even though it might be good for Trump to stay away from the bombs, putting 10-ton bombs in the hands of people we don’t even elect to office — people who can, arguably, do whatever they want without having to worry about re-election, is just as dangerous. If we can’t know what goes on behind the closed doors of the White House, we have no power to hold the Trump administration accountable for its actions. It is dangerous when our government keeps secrets.
