Nuclear Warheads: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program and the Life Extension Program
Abstract
Current U.S. nuclear warheads were deployed during the Cold War. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) maintains them with a Life Extension Program (LEP). NNSA questions if LEP can maintain them indefinitely on grounds that an accretion of minor changes introduced in replacement components will inevitably reduce confidence in warhead safety and reliability over the long term. Congress mandated the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program in 2004 "to improve the reliability, longevity, and certifiability of existing weapons and their components." Since then, Congress has specified more goals for the program, such as increasing safety, reducing the need for nuclear testing, designing for ease of manufacture, and reducing cost. RRW has become the principal program for designing new warheads to replace current ones. The program's first step is a design competition. The winning design was selected in March 2007. If the program continues, NNSA would advance the design, assess technical feasibility, and estimate cost and schedule in FY2006; start engineering development by FY2O10 and produce the first deployable RRW in FY2Ol2. Each year, Congress would decide whether to fund the program as requested, modify it, or cancel it, and whether to continue or halt LEP.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA466856
Entities
People
- Jonathan Medallia
Organizations
- Library of Congress