Divine Testing
Correction: It's actually Divine Strake.
Arkin goes on to quote from the 1997 military rules governing the creation of code names (the current rules are classified):
(2) Nicknames improperly selected can be counter-productive. A nickname must be chosen with sufficient care to ensure that it does not:(a) Express a degree of bellicosity inconsistent with traditional American ideals or current foreign policy;
(b) Convey connotations offensive to good taste, or derogatory to a particular group, sect, or creed;
(c) Convey connotations offensive to our allies or other Free World Nations;
(d) Detract from the perceived relevance of the operation."
Now maybe there is some logic to this name. Maybe the thought is that the Iranians will pay more attention to this demonstration if its name makes it seem like Bush thinks he is God.
Whatever the motive, the United States is certainly not alone in conflating weapons testing and the divine. The Iranians also like religious references. The military maneuvers in which they have tested a number of weapons in the past week are called “God’s Prophet.”
The same is true for India. For both its first and second Atom Bomb tests India used the phrase “Buddha smiles.” Of course, in his compassion the Buddha often smiles at the folly of humans blinded by their passions, but I somehow don’t think that was the reason this phrase was chosen.
But it’s an irony that humans might learn from anyway.