The U.S. arsenal of nuclear missiles is apparently being readied against a new foe: asteroids.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said this explains why the U.S. is apparently delaying its plans to scrap its missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

A high level evaluation recommended these weapons can be of use in planetary defense against an incoming asteroid.

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NASA and the U.S. government plan to utilize these nuclear warheads against an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.

A number of studies were funded by NASA to see how nuclear weapons can protect the Earth from any incoming asteroid threat. For example, multiple asteroid event scenarios were carefully considered by NASA.

Among these scenarios was intercepting an approaching asteroid with a nuclear warhead to throw it off course or blasting the asteroid into smaller fragments that burn up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Many, however, are still skeptical about this report, according to Jay Melos, a professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary studies from Purdue University. He speculated this unnecessary nuclear defense system could be an excuse to retain the U.S.' nuclear arsenal.

Melos insists there are many options and effective methods to defend the planet from an asteroid attack as opposed to using nuclear weapons.

A prime example of this asteroid defense method is NASA's Deep Impact mission in 2005 in which a massive 820 pound battering ram struck the incoming asteroid, Tempel 1, throwing the comet off course.

If the U.S. plans to use its nuclear missiles to defend the planet from asteroids, it will break the 1967 Outer Space Treaty that prohibits the use of nuclear weapons in space.

TagsWhy the U.S. Keeps Its Nuclear Weapons; It's for an Asteroid Attack, US, NASA, asteroid attack