Manufacturing Nuclear Weapon Pits, and More from CRS
A critical assessment of the feasibility of reaching the Department of Defense’s goal of producing 80 plutonium pits (or triggers) for nuclear weapons was prepared by the Congressional Research Service. It provides new analysis of the space and material requirements needed to achieve the declared goal. See Manufacturing Nuclear Weapon “Pits”: A Decisionmaking Approach for Congress, August 15, 2014.
Other new or updated CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following.
The U.S. Military Presence in Okinawa and the Futenma Base Controversy, August 14, 2014
India’s New Government and Implications for U.S. Interests, August 7, 2014
Guatemala: Political, Security, and Socio-Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations, updated August 7, 2014
Small Refineries and Oil Field Processors: Opportunities and Challenges, August 11, 2014
Telemarketing Regulation: National and State Do Not Call Registries, August 14, 2014
Immigration Policies and Issues on Health-Related Grounds for Exclusion, updated August 13, 2014
The United Kingdom is modernizing its stockpile of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, as detailed today in the Federation of American Scientists latest edition of its Nuclear Notebook, “United Kingdom Nuclear Forces, 2024”.
FAS believes the resolution is a necessary advancement of scientific understanding of the devastating consequences of a nuclear war.
The U.S. should continue its voluntary moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons tests and implement further checks on the president’s ability to call for a resumption of nuclear testing.
To help protect U.S. critical infrastructure workers, the next presidential administration should ensure ample supplies of high-quality respiratory personal protective equipment.