US military command removes nuke joke amid criticism

WASHINGTON

The combatant command responsible for the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal sparked outrage Monday when it tweeted out a joke appearing to make light of possible nuclear warfare, later removing the post amid an outcry.

"#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball...if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger," Strategic Command said in a post on its Twitter account accompanied by a slickly produced video of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber dropping a penetrator bomb.

The post encouraged viewers to watch the video to the end, which included footage of bombs and missiles being dropped from the B-2 and the penetrator bomb smashing through a target before exploding.

The tweet unleashed a maelstrom of criticism and confusion on the micro blogging site before it was taken down.

"I don’t get WHY you would tweet this," wrote @SpicyFiles. "It’s beyond peculiar, as an American I find this horrifically irresponsible. The world knows our Military is always ready. Strength comes in silence vs using twitter to pound our chest."

Added @tumpover: "I'm certainly glad we have you, value your service, & I saw the stealth fly over Mt. Rushmore once, but threatening to drop bombs as peaceful as your New Year's felicitation is inappropriate & not amusing. The goal is NOT to drop bombs!"

Later, the command apologized for the New Year's Eve tweet.

"Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values," it said. "We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies."

*Servet Gunerigok in Washington contributed to this story

WASHINGTON

The post encouraged viewers to watch the video to the end, which included footage of bombs and missiles being dropped from the B-2 and the penetrator bomb smashing through a target before exploding.

The tweet unleashed a maelstrom of criticism and confusion on the micro blogging site before it was taken down.

Later, the command apologized for the New Year's Eve tweet.

"Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values," it said. "We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies."

*Servet Gunerigok in Washington contributed to this story