The Office’s Central Emergency Stockpile (CES) was made ready to respond to almost all the needs of up to 500,000 people.
commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons, the weapons complex needs to ramp up research on how to verify further reductions in nuclear arsenals.In the past year, UNHCR has strengthened its capacity to respond to emergencies affecting up to 500,000 people, including through its inter-agency commitments and responsibilities for IDPs. nuclear arsenal has shrunk over the last few decades, so has research on verifying nuclear arms reductions. Learn more about the risks of storing plutonium and highly enriched uranium (PDF) > Ramping up research on nuclear dismantlement While the NNSA plans to reduce its plutonium and HEU stockpiles, more can and should be done, including further reductions of these materials, consolidation at fewer locations, and more secure disposal of plutonium, instead of using it to fuel nuclear power plants. Learn more the nuclear weapons complex workforce (PDF) > Minimizing risks of storing plutonium and highly enriched uraniumĪ key mission of the nuclear complex is to safely and securely store and dispose of surplus plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU), which can be used to make nuclear weapons. UCS recommends continuing to offer competitive salaries and benefits, as well as programs and opportunities that support high-quality research on topics other than nuclear weapons. nuclear stockpile: the weapons complex continues to compete with other employers for such skills. Learn more about stockpile stewardship (PDF) > Retaining a qualified nuclear weapons workforceĪ skilled scientific and technical workforce is essential to the NNSA’s ability to maintain the U.S. UCS recommends that the independent scientific JASON group assess the utility of the Stockpile Stewardship facilities for different types of life extension programs. Refurbishing existing weapons-rather than building newly-designed ones-will reduce demands on these facilities. It uses experimental and computational facilities to model the behavior of nuclear weapons. The Stockpile Stewardship Program was created to better understand how nuclear weapons work, including research into new designs and modifications. Learn more about nuclear weapon surveillance (PDF) > Nuclear weapons and stockpile stewardship
The agency that oversees the complex-the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)-has not, however, given this program the attention it deserves, and should prioritize surveillance regardless of budget cuts. The United States relies on its Stockpile Surveillance Program to assess the reliability, safety, and security of its nuclear arsenal. Learn more about extending the life of the nuclear arsenal (PDF) > Prioritizing surveillance of nuclear weapons UCS recommends giving strong preference to refurbishing existing weapons, and canceling or rightsizing new production facilities.
It also plans to build several new facilities to produce parts for these weapons, some of which are unnecessary or over-sized. nuclear arsenal with five different weapons over the next 25 to 30 years. The United States plans to replace the seven types of weapons currently in the U.S. Refurbishing (not replacing) nuclear weapons
This report examines the essential missions of the complex, considers its key challenges, and suggests critical near- and long-term steps, detailed below. Key to this enterprise are the laboratories and facilities that research, design, produce, and maintain nuclear weapons-collectively known as the nuclear weapons complex. The United States seeks to maintain a reliable, safe, and secure nuclear arsenal.