US government proposals for maintaining competence in nuclear weapons while observing a test ban have serious flaws. An approach based on remanufacturing proven weapons when necessary offers significant advantages.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
National Defense Authorization Act FY 1994, sec. 3138: Stockpile Stewardship Program.
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile Stewardship and Management, US Dept of Energy DOE/EIS-0236 Summary, September 1996.
Kidder, R. E. Report to Congress: Assessment of the Safety of U.S. Nuclear Weapons and Related Nuclear Test Requirements Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory UCRL-LR-107454, 26 July 1991.
The Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, Maintaining Confidence in the Safety and Reliability of the Enduring U.S. Nuclear Weapon Stockpile US Dept of Energy Office of Defense Programs, May 1995.
Medalia, J. E. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Stewardship CRS Report for Congress 94-418 F, 12 May 1994.
The National Ignition Facility, Energy and Technology Review Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory UCRL-52000-94-12, December 1994.
Statement of the President, The White House, 11 August 1995.
von Hippel, F. & Jones, S. Bull. Atom. Sci. 52, 44–47 (1996).
Axelrod, M. A Statistical Analysis of the Accuracy of Measurement and Prediction of the Yields of U.S. Nuclear Tests Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory UCID-21186, September 1987 (classified).
Kidder, R. E. Maintaining the U.S. Stockpile of Nuclear Weapons During a Low-Threshold or Comprehensive Test Ban Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory UCRL-53820, October 1987.
National Defense Authorization Act FY 1989, sec. 1436: Nuclear Test Ban Readiness Program.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kidder, R. Problems with stockpile stewardship. Nature 386, 645–647 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/386645a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/386645a0
This article is cited by
-
Perceptions toward stewardship among residents living near U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Facilities
Environment, Development and Sustainability (2007)
-
Sowing nuclear misconceptions
Nature (2000)
-
Weapons labs turn to computer simulation
Nature (1997)