Nuclear Transformations

March 28, 2008

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is in the process of changing the nuclear weapons facilities in the U.S. to consolidate and upgrade the eight major weapons sites in seven states. This long-term Complex Transformation program continues the stockpile stewardship programs begun in the 1990s. The purpose of these efforts is to maintain core competencies in nuclear weapons, while maintaining a safe and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile and creating a cost-effective infrastructure that’s expandable for future needs and smaller to reduce the overall costs and security risks. Local community and government meetings are being held this spring throughout these sites to ensure that the site neighbors are made aware of the upcoming changes and have a voice in their implementation.

Each of the eight sites will continue their specific involvement in the design, development, manufacture, test, and storage of nuclear weapons and components, although specific facilities within each may be closed, consolidated, or upgraded with the loss of some jobs.

Even if we never use them again, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever stop their technological development. Therefore, it’s appropriate to downsize as much as practically possible the size, extent, and cost of that effort. According to preliminary plans, many of the current facilities will see facility downsizings on the order of 50% and staff reductions of 20% (spread out over the next 10 years). While this level of infrastructure reduction is definitely significant, the level of improvements in the new facilities and capabilities should improve our overall nuclear technology capabilities.

Included in this transformation program are studies and plans to ensure that the changes that are made have no negative environmental impact. It is indeed comforting to watch these scenarios unfold in a sophisticated, logical, and mostly open manner, especially when you consider the manner in which similar efforts are performed in other countries with nuclear capabilities.

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