Military Tweets About Dropping Bombs On New Years, Internet Explodes

In a since-deleted tweet, U.S. Strategic Command caused a bit of a stir after they blasted out a New Year’s Eve message playing on the “ball drop” tradition.

U.S. Strategic Command, the unified command that oversees global strikes and strategic deterrence, joined in the holiday celebration Monday with a tweet one Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee decried as “tacky” and some particularly outraged folks online said made them feel “unsafe.”

“#Times Square tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball…if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger,” U.S. Strategic Command tweeted from its official account.

Along with the comment was an image of a B-2 Stealth Bomber and the words “stealth…ready…lethal” flashing on the screen (screenshot below):

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The tweet triggered a series of outraged posts and concerned reports, including from HuffPost and CNN.

CNN went nuclear on the post, literally: “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 US military maintains the largest and most capable weapons in the world,” CNN reported.

CNN spoke with House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who chided the command for the post. “I think it’s very tacky,” Rep. Gallego told CNN. “We don’t need to be acting this way.”

As HuffPost highlights, the tweet left some people feeling “UNSAFE” and declaring that our military is run by “maniacs.”

“What kind of maniacs are running this country?” wrote the former director of Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub.

U.S. Strategic Command has since deleted the tweet and apologized for the post, which it said was in “poor taste.”

“Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize,” U.S. Strategic Command tweeted Monday. “We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.”

Prior to the official apology, spokesperson Navy Capt. Brook Dewalt told CNN that the tweet was just “part of our recap of command priorities” and was intended to reassure Americans that they are ready to protect them at all times.

Related: Pat Sajak Ends Entertaining Year Online By Renaming CNN, Trolling Outrage Culture