Military command apologizes for tweet

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees America’s nuclear and missile arsenal, boasted in a New Year’s Eve tweet that it’s ready if ever needed “to drop something much, much bigger” than the Times Square ball.

The tweet was accompanied by video of B-2 bombers dropping two 30,000-pound conventional weapons at a test range, according to CNN, which aired the video.

The tweet on Strategic Command’s Twitter account was later replaced with an apology: “Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.”

The first tweet read in part: “#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball … if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger.”

It also tagged the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and the Air Force Global Strike Command, which is responsible for nuclear and nonnuclear strategic bomber fleets.

“This post, which has since been deleted, was part of our Year in Review series meant to feature our command priorities: strategic deterrence, decisive response and combat-ready force. It was a repost from earlier in the year, dropping a pair of conventional Massive Ordnance Penetrators at a test range in the United States,” a Strategic Command spokesman told The Washington Post.