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Disarmament Diplomacy

US Review of Nuclear Stockpile Stewardship Programme

On December 10, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced the results of a major internal review of the US Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) designed to maintain the condition of US nuclear weapons. The review concluded, in the words of a DoE press release, "that the

program, which began in 1993, is sound and developing the science, technology, and production capabilities needed to maintain the long-term safety, security and reliability of the nation's existing nuclear weapons without nuclear weapons." In Richardson's assessment: "The Stockpile Stewardship Program is a cornerstone of our national security, and this review confirms that it is successfully keeping our nuclear deterrent strong, and the American people safe. Every year we've seen important advances in the science and capabilities needed to maintain these weapons without nuclear testing, and we believe this progress will continue."

The Department's detailed summary of the review follows:

"The principal finding of the review is that stockpile stewardship works, both in terms of specific science, surveillance, and production accomplishments and in terms of developing a program management structure that integrates the span of program activities. In science, the program is providing the data to validate advanced nuclear weapons simulation codes. In surveillance, the program is developing the chemical, analytical and materials science tools to anticipate and assess the aging of stockpile components. In production, the nation is restoring its capacity to produce nuclear weapons components to replace aging parts in the enduring nuclear stockpile. The review also concludes that the management and program organization is working to articulate mission goals, integrate program functions and coordinate the span of activities necessary to maintain a strong nuclear deterrent. Thus the program is working today, as evidenced by three certification cycles, and is structured to sustain this long into the future.

Examples of specific accomplishments cited in the report include, having:

1. completed three annual certifications of the stockpile, which resulted in no requirement for underground nuclear testing;
2. delivered refurbished W-87 Peacekeeper warheads to the Department of Defense;
3. developed, certified, produced, and fielded the B61-11, replacing the less safe B53 bomb;
4. started production of new, replacement neutron generators, a component of all nuclear weapons;
5. re-established pit production capability at Los Alamos;
6. started exhaustive life extension studies for the W76 Trident missile warhead and W80 strategic cruise missile warhead;
7. assured a new source of tritium, a radioactive gas in nuclear weapons that must be replaced periodically; and
8. performed subcritical experiments that have provided key data on aging plutonium.

Secretary Richardson has ordered implementation of the 15 specific actions that emerge from the report's findings, including actions to:

1. define the workforce needs to meet the next decade's major life extension work;
2. place stronger emphasis on longer term investments in exploratory science that are necessary to assure that we have the necessary scientific foundation for the future and to attract and retain the next generation of scientists;
3. recapitalize the weapons complex to update machinery and equipment that will be needed for weapons refurbishment;
4. establish a Requirements Assessment and Implementation Team in consultation with the Department of Defense to match military requirements to financial, facility, and human resource levels;
5. develop an overall defense plutonium strategy;
6. support restoration of Laboratory Director Research and Development funding to six percent and establish a
7. similar mechanism at the production plants in order to provide the scientific, engineering and manufacturing base for the next generation of stockpile stewardship; and
8. create an advisory committee for the Office of Defense Programs; and
9. improve cooperation opportunities for cross cutting work among the sites in the weapons complex. …"

Report: Review concludes Stockpile Stewardship works, US Energy Department Press Release R-99-323, December 10.

© 2000 The Acronym Institute.

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