The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program: Background and Current Developments

Abstract

Most current U.S. nuclear warheads were built in the 1970s and 1980s and are being retained longer than was planned. Yet they deteriorate and must be maintained. To correct problems, a Life Extension Program (LEP), part of a larger Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP), replaces components. Modifying some components would require a nuclear test, but the United States has observed a test moratorium since 1992 so LEP rebuilds these components as closely as possible to original specifications. With this approach, the Secretaries of Defense and Energy have certified stockpile safety and reliability for the past 11 years without nuclear testing. For FY2005, Congress provided $9 million to start the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program, which trades such Cold War features as high yield and low weight to gain features more valuable now, such as lower cost and improved use control. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which operates the nuclear weapons program, sees RRW as part of a plan that would also modernize the nuclear weapons complex, avoid nuclear testing, and reduce non-deployed weapons. The Nuclear Weapons Council conducted a competition, with the winning RRW design selected in March 2007. The FY2006 RRW appropriation was $24.8 million; the FY2007 operating plan has $35.8 million; and the FY2008 request lists $88.8 million for NNSA and $30.0 million for the Navy. H.R. 1585, the FY2008 defense authorization bill, as passed by the House reduces the NNSA request by $20 million and the Navy request by $25.0 million. The House Appropriations Committee recommended eliminating FY2008 NNSA RRW funds. The Senate Armed Services Committee recommended reducing the Navy RRW request by $15.0 million. It said NNSA s budget request included $238.1 million for RRW, and recommended reducing that amount by $43.0 million.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 13, 2007
Accession Number
ADA470255

Entities

People

  • Jonathan E. Medalia

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Environment
  • Explosives
  • Fusion Weapons
  • Insensitive Explosives
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Law
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Materials
  • Nuclear Weapons

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Software Engineering