Chapter 1: Overview of the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent 1

Brief History of Nuclear Weapons 2

 1945 to 1992 2

 1992 to 2018 4

2018 and Beyond 5

Future of the Nuclear Deterrent 7

Chapter 2: Nuclear Weapons Employment Policy, Planning, and NC3 9

Overview 9

NuclearWeapons Employment Policy and Planning 9

 Objectives and Guidance 9

 Target Development 10

 Weaponeering Assessment 11

 Force Planning 11

 Decision Conferencing 12

 Force Execution/Battle Damage Assessment 12

 Nuclear Weapons Targeting Terminology 12

Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications 14

 Nuclear Command and Control 14

 Exercising Presidential Authority 14

 Communications 17

 NC3 Requirements 18

 Current NC3 Architecture 19

 Evolving Threats 19

 Modernizing NC3 20

Chapter 3: Nuclear Delivery Systems 23

Overview 23

Complementary Attributes of the U.S. Nuclear Triad 23

Nuclear Weapon Delivery Systems 24

 Sea-Launched 25

 Ground-Launched 26

 Air-Launched 28

Chapter 4: Nuclear Weapons 31

Overview 31

Nuclear Weapons Stockpile 31

Stockpile Quantities 34

 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Hedge 36

Stockpile Configuration 36

 Active Stockpile 37

 Inactive Stockpile 37

 Warhead Readiness States 38

 Logistical Planning 39

 Storage 40

 Staging 40

 Maintenance 40

 Movement 40

 Surveillance 41

 Forward Deployment 41

 Life Extension Program 41

 Retired Warheads 41

Stockpile Stewardship Program 42

Stockpile Management 42

 Stockpile Life Extension from 1992–Present 44

Stockpile Evaluation and Quality Assurance 45

 Stockpile Surveillance 45

Dual-Agency Responsibility for Stockpile Management 48

 Departmental Responsibilities 49

Chapter 5: NNSA Nuclear Security Enterprise 51

Overview 51

NNSA Nuclear Security Enterprise 51

 Los Alamos National Laboratory 54

 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 54

 Sandia National Laboratories 55

 Kansas City National Security Campus 56

 Pantex Plant 56

 Savannah River Site 56

 Y-12 National Security Complex 56

 Nevada National Security Site 57

Future Enterprise Infrastructure Enhancements 57

Chapter 6: Nuclear Weapons Council 61

Overview 61

Background 61

 Military Liaison Committee 61

 Blue Ribbon Task Group on Nuclear Weapons Program Management 62

 Nuclear Weapons Council Today 63

NWC Organization and Members 64

NWC Responsibilities and Activities 64

NWC Processes and Procedures 65

NWC Subordinate Organizations 66

 NWC Standing and Safety Committee 67

 NWC Action Officers Group 68

 NWC Staff 68

NWC Annual Reports 69

 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Memorandum and Requirements and Planning Document 70

 NWC Report on Stockpile Assessments 71

 Joint Surety Report 73

 NWC Budget Certification Letter 73

 Plutonium Pit Production Certification 74

 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan Assessment 75

 Annual Report on the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile of the United States 75

 Biennial Report on Platform Assessments 76

Chapter 7: Nuclear Weapons Life Cycle 77

Overview 77

Nuclear Weapons Management 78

Phase 6.X Process 78

 Phase 6.1 – Concept Assessment 80

 Phase 6.2 – Feasibility Study and Design Options 81

 Phase 6.2A – Design Definition and Cost Study 83

 Phase 6.3 – Development Engineering 85

 Phase 6.4 – Production Engineering 86

 Phase 6.5 – First Production 86

 Phase 6.6 – Full-Scale Production 87

Phase 7 – Retirement, Dismantlement, and Disposition 88

Chapter 8: Nuclear Surety 89

Overview 89

Dual-Agency Surety Responsibilities 89

 DoD and DOE Surety Programs 90

Nuclear Weapon System Safety 91

 Nuclear Weapon Design Safety 92

Nuclear Weapons Security 95

 DoD Nuclear Weapon Security Standard 95

 DOE Security 97

 DoD and DOE Personnel Security 97

 Procedural Security 98

Use Control 98

 Weapons System Coded Control 98

 Coded Control Device 99

 Command Disablement System 99

 Active Protection System 99

 Trajectory Sensing Subsystem 99

 Permissive Action Link 99

 DoD Use Control Program 99

 NNSA Use Control Program 100

Chapter 9: Nuclear Survivability and Effects Testing 101

Overview 101

 Governance 101

 Strategic Radiation-Hardened Electronics 102

 Strategic Radiation-Hardened Electronics Council 102

Nuclear Weapon Effects Survivability and Nuclear Weapon System Survivability 103

 Nuclear Hardness 104

 Nuclear Weapon Effects Survivability 104

 Nuclear Weapon System Survivability 108

 Military Standards 109

Nuclear Weapons Effects Testing 110

 X-ray Effects Testing 111

 Gamma Dose-Rate Effects Testing 113

 Total Dose Effects Testing 114

 Neutron Effects Testing 114

 Air-Blast Effects Testing 114

 Electromagnetic Pulse Effects Testing 115

 Thermal Radiation Effects Testing 115

 Shock Testing 115

Chapter 10: International Nuclear Cooperation 117

Overview 117

U.S. Nuclear Cooperation with NATO 118

U.S.-UK Mutual Defense Agreement 119

 Management Arrangements 120

 Joint Handbook and Administrative Arrangements 121

 Joint Atomic Information Exchange Group 121

 Strategic Collaborations 121

 Joint Working Groups 122

 Exchange of Information by Visit and Report 122

 Channels 122

U.S.-UK Nuclear Threat Reduction 122

U.S.-UK-France (P3) Trilateral Partnership 123

NNSA International NTR Cooperative Activities 123

Chapter 11: Nuclear Threat Reduction 125

Overview 125

DoD NTR Efforts 125

Understanding State Threats 126

 Motivation and Planning 127

 Developing Infrastructure 127

 Acquiring Expertise, Technology, and Material 127

 Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Testing 129

Understanding Non-State Threats 129

Actions to Reduce Non-State Nuclear Threats 132

 Material Security 132

 Detection 133

 Interdiction 135

 Device Defeat 135

 Consequence Management 136

 Nuclear Forensics, Attribution, and Deterrence 136

Chapter 12: Nuclear Treaties and Agreements 139

OvervieW 139

List of Nuclear-Related Treaties and International Agreements 139

Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones 141

 Antarctic Treaty 142

 Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco) 143

 South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) 143

 Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty) 144

 African Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (ANWFZ) Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) 144

 Central Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty 145

Nuclear Weapons TreatieS 145

 Limited Test Ban Treaty 145

 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty 145

 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks/Treaty 146

 Threshold Test Ban Treaty 148

 Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty 149

 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty 150

 Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Treaty 151

 1991 Presidential Nuclear Initiatives 152

 Treaty on Open Skies 152

 START II 153

 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 153

 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty 153

 New START Treaty 154

Nuclear Materials, Treaty Monitoring and Verification Technologies 154

 The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 155

 Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM) and its 2005 Amendment 155

 Counterproliferation Verification Technologies 156

 Stockpile Monitoring 157

Nuclear Security Summits 157

Chapter 13: Basic Nuclear Physics and Weapons Effects 159

Overview 159

Nuclear Physics 159

 Atomic Structure 159

 Radioactive Decay 161

 Fissile Material 161

 Nuclear Reactions 161

Basic Nuclear Weapon Designs 164

Effects of Nuclear Detonations 167

 Ground Zero 167

 Overall Effects 168

 Casualty and Damage Distances for Populated Areas 169

 Nuclear Fireball 169

 Thermal Radiation 169

 Air Blast 171

 Ground Shock 172

 Surface Crater 173

 Underwater Shock 174

 Initial Nuclear Radiation 175

 Residual Nuclear Radiation 177

 Biological/Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation 179

 Electromagnetic Pulse 180

 Transient Radiation Effects on Electronics 181

 Blackout 182

Chapter 14: History of Nuclear Explosive Testing 183

Overview 183

U.S. Nuclear Testing Program 183

 Early Years of U.S. Nuclear Testing 184

 Transition to Underground Nuclear Testing 185

 Transition to 3-D Codes 189

End of Underground Nuclear Testing 190

Chapter 15: Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Proliferation 191

Overview 191

Nuclear Weapons Development Program 191

Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Fissile Material 193

 Exploration 194

 Mining 194

 Milling 194

 Conversion 194

 Fuel Pellet Fabrication 194

 Isotopes of Uranium 195

 Uranium Enrichment 195

 Enrichment Factors 198

 Nuclear Reactors 199

 Plutonium 201

 Heavy-Water Reactors 202

 HWR vs LWR for Plutonium Production 204

 Summary of Fissile Component Feasibility 204

Reprocessing 204

Fissile Component Fabrication 205

 Uranium Fissile Component Fabrication 205

 Plutonium Fissile Component Fabrication 205

Weaponization 206

 Arming Device 206

 Casing 206

 Detonators 206

 Explosive 206

 Firing Device 206

 Fuze 207

 Neutron Generator 207

 Power Source 207

 Reflector 207

 Safing Device 207

 Tamper 207

 Security Device 208

 Special Handling Equipment 208

 Delivery System Interface 208

Chapter 16: Budgeting Process 209

Overview 209

Federal Budget 209

 President’s Budget 210

 Congressional Budget Resolution 211

 Authorization 211

 Appropriations 212

 Continuing Resolution 212

DoD and NNSA Role in the Budget Process 213

 Department of Defense PPBE 213

 National Nuclear Security Administration PPBE 216

overarching DoD guidance 217

 Process Flow 217

Chapter 17: Authorities 219

Overview 219

National Guidance 219

Departmental Guidance 220

Authoritative Documents 220

Chapter 18: Classification 231

Overview 231

Information Classification 231

 National Security Information 231

 Nuclear Information 232

 Foreign Nuclear Information 234

 Sharing Information with the United Kingdom 234

Classifying Documents 234

 Original Classification Authority 234

 Derivative Classification Authority 234

Security Clearances 235

 DoD Security Clearance Levels 235

 DOE Security Clearance Levels 235

 Equating the Two Classification Systems 235

Accessing Classified Information 236

Marking Classified Documents Containing Information Protected by the Atomic Energy Act 236

 Marking Restricted Data, Formerly Restricted Data, and CNWDI Documents 236

 ATOMAL 237

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) 237

Glossary 239

Acronym List 255