SUMMARY REPORT: WORKSHOP ON US NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAFETY AND SECURITY

The report details a workshop on U.S. nuclear weapons surety, distinguishing between safety (preventing accidental detonation) and security (preventing unauthorized use). While participants generally felt existing warheads were safe, they expressed greater concern over security and use control. The document examines the trade-offs of adding intrinsic surety features—such as insensitive high explosives (IHE)—during life extension programs (LEPs), noting that such changes can risk reliability and increase costs. It emphasizes that improvements outside the nuclear explosive package are faster and lower-risk. Additionally, the report addresses cybersecurity threats to command and control networks and the challenges of maintaining a 'foolproof' system involving human operators.

• Workshop participants generally viewed the safety of existing U.S. warheads as acceptable, though some noted that transitioning to a stockpile using only insensitive high explosives (IHE) would benefit workers at the Pantex plant.
• There was significant disagreement regarding the role of intrinsic features (those within the nuclear explosive package) in preventing the use of stolen weapons. Some participants believed stolen weapons should be assumed usable, while others argued that features like permissive action links (PALs) and arming sequences make detonation difficult.
• The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) aims to replace conventional high explosives with insensitive high explosives (IHE) across the active stockpile to improve safety and simplify facility requirements at the Pantex Plant. However, the U.S. Navy refused the switch to IHE for the W76 life extension program, which will be completed in 2019, delaying the all-IHE goal.
• Participants argued that safety and security improvements made outside the nuclear explosive package are preferable because they can be implemented more quickly, cost less, and do not introduce risks to the reliability of the stockpile.
• The B61 life extension program (LEP) has seen dramatic cost increases, with 2012 estimates rising from $4.8 billion to between $8 billion (NNSA estimate) and over $10 billion (DOD estimate). The resulting B61-12 will use the B61-4 as a baseline to reduce the amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in the weapon.
• Cybersecurity of nuclear command and control networks is considered critically important, but high classification levels hinder a full understanding of threats. Concerns include the vulnerability of offline networks to malicious code via portable media and the risk of mistaken escalation due to cyberattacks on civilian networks.
• The Department of Defense (DOD) maintains a Personnel Reliability Program for approximately 8,000 personnel, utilizing a two-person approach to prevent unauthorized access. However, a 2007 incident involving the inadvertent transport of armed cruise missiles from North Dakota to Louisiana highlighted that human error remains a risk despite 'foolproof' aspirations.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). SUMMARY REPORT: WORKSHOP ON US NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAFETY AND SECURITY. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/nuclear-safety-security-workshop.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. SUMMARY REPORT: WORKSHOP ON US NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAFETY AND SECURITY. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/nuclear-safety-security-workshop.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=SUMMARY REPORT: WORKSHOP ON US NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAFETY AND SECURITY |date=September 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/nuclear-safety-security-workshop.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013summary, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{SUMMARY REPORT: WORKSHOP ON US NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAFETY AND SECURITY}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/nuclear-safety-security-workshop.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }