Nuclear Weapons: the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program
Order Code RL32929 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program May 24, 2005 Jonathan Medalia Specialist in National Defense Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program Summary Most current U.S. nuclear warheads were built in the 1980s, and are being retained longer than was planned. Yet warheads deteriorate with age, and must be maintained. The current approach monitors them for signs of aging. When problems are found, a Life Extension Program (LEP) rebuilds components. While some can be made to new specifications, a nuclear test moratorium bars that approach for critical components that would require a nuclear test. Instead, LEP rebuilds them as closely as possible to original specifications. Using this approach, the Secretaries of Defense and Energy have certified stockpile safety and reliability for the past nine years without nuclear testing. In the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress initiated the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program by providing $9 million for it. The program will study developing replacement components for existing weapons, trading off features important in the Cold War, such as high yield and low weight, to gain features more valuable now, such as lower cost, elimination of some hazardous materials, greater ease of manufacture, greater ease of certification without nuclear testing, and increased long-term confidence in the stockpile. It would modify components to make these improvements; in contrast, LEP makes changes mainly to maintain existing weapons. Representative David Hobson, RRW’s prime sponsor, views it as part of a comprehensive plan for the U.S.
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