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. Congress and the Administration prefer to avoid a return to testing, 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 12 years without nuclear testing.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 12, 2008
Accession Number
ADA494294

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
  • Fleet Ballistic Missiles
  • Fusion Weapons
  • Insensitive Explosives
  • Law
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Materials
  • Nuclear Warheads
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Treaties

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Software Engineering