Program maintains aging nuclear weapons

  • Published
  • By Bud Cordova
  • Nucleus writer
Defense Threat Reduction Agency Test and Handling Gear Program Manager Navy Lt. Juanzen DeLoney describes the nuclear stockpile like this: Think of the car you drive; what is the make and year of that car? Now imagine you have to drive just that car and cannot buy a new one for the next 50 years.  All you can do is replace or update parts to ensure it continues to function like it is brand new. This is exactly the situation the United States must deal with in regard to its nuclear weapons stockpile.

"No one wants to go down the route of World War II: a conflict of massive worldwide proportions with millions of lives lost; that's why we need to maintain the deterrence offered by the nuclear stockpile,"  DeLoney said.

In addition to inhibiting nations from fighting large-scale wars, he said, "The nuclear stockpile acts as a counter to weapons of mass destruction.  And deterrence has worked. It has been 70 years since a nuclear weapon has been used in warfare."

To ensure stockpiles of nuclear weaponry owned by the U.S. continue to act as a deterrent, maintenance and updates are regularly done.

For example, the B61, a thermonuclear weapon, was designed and built in 1963.

Thermonuclear weapons use very high temperatures to bring about fusion, the joining of two atomic nuclei, such as those of hydrogen isotopes with the accompanying release of energy. The high temperatures required are obtained by means of fission, the splitting of an atom's nucleus. These bombs are sometimes referred to as hydrogen bombs.

To ensure B61s continue to deter enemy aggression, they need modifications to work with current technology and defense systems.  B61s have had 12 planned modifications since their manufacture.

"This is where we in nuclear logistics and logistics maintenance come in," DeLoney said.

The logistics personnel gather data on the weapons and repairs required for briefings via the Project Officers Group and take it to the Nuclear Weapons Council and finally before Congress.

"This way the right people have the best information available to help them make appropriate decisions regarding the stockpile worldwide," he said.

At Kirtland Air Force Base, DeLoney gathers data from the Air Force and Navy, pertaining to issues with test and handling gear used to maintain the stockpile. He then forwards those issues to Sandia National Laboratories for collaboration and technical evaluation.

Once the response is received from the laboratories, DeLoney must ensure that DoD policy is adhered to when issuing the final answer as the DoD representative for test and handling gear.

His DoD-level answer is then distributed back to the services for final action and closure. Nuclear Weapons Program managers go through the same process for life-cycle sustainment of the stockpile for national defense.

In a related matter, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program within DTRA helps reduce the amount of harmful nuclear material available globally by purchasing and transporting material into the U.S. to use as part of peaceful nuclear energy solutions in conjunction with the Nunn-Lugar CTR Program.

Nunn-Lugar became law in 1991 and allocated American funds and technical expertise to help safeguard and dismantle vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union.

"A lot of smart people plan and strategize for the stockpile to set up the next generation for success," DeLoney said.