New Nuclear Warheads: Legislative Provisions

Abstract

The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) identifies a plan to modify a small number of [submarine launched ballistic missile] warheads to provide a low-yield option so that the United States could respond promptly and penetrate an adversarys defenses after a nuclear attack. The NPR contends that this capability would strengthen nuclear deterrence, while critics argue it would lower the nuclear threshold and increase the risk of nuclear war. This Insight reviews legislation addressing research and development on new or low-yield nuclearweapons and notes that under current law, an Administration must request specific authorization and appropriations from Congress before funding new or modified warheads. It does not address the policy debate on the benefits and risks of this capability.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 05, 2018
Accession Number
AD1172130

Entities

People

  • Amy F. Woolf

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Launched
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Congress
  • Engineering
  • Explosives
  • High Explosives
  • Law
  • Materials
  • Military Requirements
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Warheads
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Precision
  • Underground Structures
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Warheads
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting
  • Strategic Security Studies