U.S. Strategic Command, the unified military force that controls the launch of nuclear weapons, tweeted an unusual New Year’s Eve message featuring B-2 bombers dropping 30,000-pound conventional weapons at a test range.
“#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball…if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger,” the tweet from U.S. Strategic Command’s official account said.
The post, later deleted, included a sizzle reel initially released earlier this year, showing a B-2 bomber dropping “a pair of conventional Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) at a test range,” the Pentagon said.
While the bombs depicted in the video — known as “bunker busters” — are conventional, not nuclear, the tweet seems to serve as a reminder to the rest of the world that the U.S. military maintains the largest and most capable weapons in the world.
A Strategic Command spokesperson, Navy Capt. Brook Dewalt, said that the post is “part of our recap of command priorities” and is all about reassuring the American people that the military is ready at all times, even on New Year’s Eve.
Later Monday, Strategic Command tweeted: “Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.”
Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.
— US Strategic Command (@US_Stratcom) December 31, 2018
The tweets came on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ last day in the job, after he resigned in part because of policy disagreements with President Trump in Syria.
Patrick Shanahan, Mattis’ deputy, will take over as acting secretary tomorrow.