Nuclear Weapons

Public Interest Report: February 2015

02.19.15 | 2 min read | Text by FAS

Seeking China-U.S. Strategic Nuclear Stability

by Charles D. Ferguson

Can NFU be demonstrated? Some analysts have argued that China in its practice of keeping warheads de-mated or unattached from the missile delivery systems has in effect placed itself in a second strike posture. But the worry from the American side is that such a posture could change quickly and that as China has been modernizing its missile force from slow firing liquid-fueled rockets to quick firing solid-fueled rockets, it will be capable of shifting to a first-use policy if the security conditions dictate such a change.

Look to Texas Rather Than Nevada for a Site Selection Process on Nuclear Waste Disposal

by Daniel Sherman

Nevada’s persistent and successful efforts to thwart the Yucca Mountain project and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 are likely to continue as they demonstrate the futility of a policy that forces disposal on an unwilling host state.

Reflections on the 70th Anniversary of the Manhattan Project: Questions and Answers

by B. Cameron Reed

Could a Manhattan-type project be done now? I do not doubt for a moment that American scientists, technicians, engineers, and workers still possess the education, brains, dedication, and creativity that characterized Manhattan. But I do not think that such success could be repeated.

Nuclear Power and Nanomaterials: Big Potential for Small Particles

by Lamar O. Mair

The race to synthesize, engineer, test, and apply new nanoscale materials for solving difficult problems in energy and defense is in full swing. The past twenty five years have ushered in an era of nanomaterials and nanoparticles – objects with at least one dimension between 1 and 100 nanometers.

The Making of the Manhattan Project Park

by Cynthia C. Kelly

The making of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park took more than five times as long as the making of the atomic bomb itself.

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