U.S. Redesigning Atomic Weapons

Worried that the nation's aging nuclear arsenal is increasingly fragile, American scientists have begun designing a new generation of nuclear arms meant to be sturdier and more reliable and to have longer lives, federal officials and private experts say.

The officials say the program could help shrink the arsenal and the high cost of its maintenance. But critics say it could needlessly resuscitate the complex of factories and laboratories that make nuclear weapons and could possibly ignite a new arms race.

The relatively small initial program, involving fewer than 100 people, is expected to grow and produce finished designs in the next 5 to 10 years, culminating, if approval is sought and won, in prototype warheads. Most important, officials say, the effort marks a fundamental shift in design philosophy

source:
new.york.times

yes,
really interesting.
while threatening other states, that develop nuclear weapons,
the united states are "redesigning" their nuclear arsenal.
are there going to be any international nuclear observers there?
i dont think so....

well, if you are going to be the one controlling nuclear arms, you better have the baddest out there.

I can understand the frustration of "hyprocrasy" that pops up here....but let's face it, we ain't going to ever get rid of them all, so it's better to be safe than sorry. How many old Nukes aroudn the world are sitll unaccounted for?

Dont forget UK amd USA invented nukes, other country's stole plans for nukes ie Russia or they would be far behind still today to our nukes...

So i think we have a right to do what we want tbh we did invent the technology which gives us a right to do what we want when we want to nuke technology. and thats why other country dont have a say in what we do with nukes.

theres no hypocracy here, but i guess noone knows what the npt says, since the hypocracy thing keeps being brought up in nuclear related threads.

Originally posted by Blobby 2
other country's stole plans for nukes ie Russia or they would be far behind still today to our nukes...

dream on..so much for deny ignorance

What's wrong with the Campaign for Nuclear Design, Development and Deployment?

So the yanks now propose new nukes. Bloody good job too! Keeps millions of workers in jobs, creating and building weapons of mass destruction [Blair - please take note!] safe in the knowledge that in another 50 - 60 years they'll have to build some more.

As if there was nothing else to spend vast amounts of money on - world hunger, third world debt, third world poverty, deposing dictators [but only those without nuclear weapons]) to name but a few.

Just one silly question. What do they do with the nuclear waste? Do they export it to Japan - the one country that they nuked? Good thinking Batman!

NNSA's Life Extension Program Meets Defense Needs Without Testing
or New Weapons
Life extension refurbishment program completed for W87 warheads

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has completed the first leg of an ambitious program to ensure that the nation's aging nuclear weapons stockpile is capable of meeting national defense requirements without producing new warheads or conducting underground nuclear tests.

NNSA has successfully completed a life extension refurbishment program for the W87 nuclear warhead. The last W87 warhead to be refurbished rolled off the assembly line at the Pantex Plant after undergoing an extensive rebuild. The purpose of the W87 Life Extension Program (LEP) refurbishment is to extend the warhead's life by 30 years and to provide structural enhancements.

"The W87 is an integral part of the nation's strategic defense. Completion of this important life extension program assures the continued safety and reliability of this vital part of the strategic nuclear deterrent," said Dr. Everet Beckner, deputy administrator for defense programs.

Full article

If we can extend the life of our existing nuclear capabilities then why are we moving ahead with designing new nuclear weapons? Due we need smaller nukes or more powerfull nukes? Not sure why we would proceed with this.

Sounds logical to openly start design new nukes as Russia shows no mark of stopping its research and development. If better nukes can keep peace up.

Originally posted by Souljah
while threatening other states, that develop nuclear weapons,
the united states are "redesigning" their nuclear arsenal.
are there going to be any international nuclear observers there?
i dont think so....

Yeah, so? The restrictions on nukes are to prevent proliferation and reduce the total number held by countries already possesing them. Testing and redesigning can reduce the number of US nukes. Preventing other nations from getting nukes fufils the other portion of the non-proliferation ideology.

blobby2
other country's stole plans for nukes

Most countries were given dual use nuclear technology by agencies like the IAEA, which was part of its raison d'etre.

fritz
Just one silly question. What do they do with the nuclear waste?

The US right now does absolutely nothing. Its being kept in the facilities that produce it, even tho they were specifically not designed for long term storage. The plan was to mix un-refined waste with special concrete to dilute it and seal it inside mulitlayer containers, and then bury in it cement, in an inactive mountain, in a desert in nevada. Other countries, like france, put it in glass and bury it. But hey, at least they actually have a plan for long term storage, unlike the US, which, I guess, is just waiting for the storage pools in nuke plants to fill up and have to temporarily store it at insecure above ground sites throughout the country.

cryptorsa1001
Not sure why we would proceed with this.

US stockpiles of nuclear weapons were designed to lauch a successful first strike on the soviet union and its allies and satellites across the globe with teh destruction of cities industries populations and armies. The soviet union was destroyed and the previous targets and strategy no longer apply, hence the need to redesign the weapons for a more realistic force.

Originally posted by Souljah
while threatening other states, that develop nuclear weapons,
the united states are "redesigning" their nuclear arsenal.
are there going to be any international nuclear observers there?
i dont think so....

Yeah, so? The restrictions on nukes are to prevent proliferation and reduce the total number held by countries already possesing them. Testing and redesigning can reduce the number of US nukes. Preventing other nations from getting nukes fufils the other portion of the non-proliferation ideology.

blobby2
other country's stole plans for nukes

Most countries were given dual use nuclear technology by agencies like the IAEA, which was part of its raison d'etre.

fritz
Just one silly question. What do they do with the nuclear waste?

The US right now does absolutely nothing. Its being kept in the facilities that produce it, even tho they were specifically not designed for long term storage. The plan was to mix un-refined waste with special concrete to dilute it and seal it inside mulitlayer containers, and then bury in it cement, in an inactive mountain, in a desert in nevada. Other countries, like france, put it in glass and bury it. But hey, at least they actually have a plan for long term storage, unlike the US, which, I guess, is just waiting for the storage pools in nuke plants to fill up and have to temporarily store it at insecure above ground sites throughout the country.

cryptorsa1001
Not sure why we would proceed with this.

US stockpiles of nuclear weapons were designed to lauch a successful first strike on the soviet union and its allies and satellites across the globe with teh destruction of cities industries populations and armies. The soviet union was destroyed and the previous targets and strategy no longer apply, hence the need to redesign the weapons for a more realistic force.