Science 1663

Stockpile Stewardship Ensures National Security

From Glenn Mara, Principal Associate Director Weapons Programs

Glenn Mara, Principal Associate Director for Weapons Programs

The United States conducted its last underground nuclear test in 1992 and turned to Los Alamos and the other weapons laboratories for a new approach to ensuring the continued safety and reliability of its nuclear deterrent without testing. The chosen approach, "science-based" Stockpile Stewardship, relies on combining scientific data with advanced computing and simulation.

Although few were sure they would succeed, today Stockpile Stewardship tools are delivering astounding results for national security. The Los Alamos Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrotest facility's Axis-1 is delivering x-ray pictures of unimagined quality. Axis-2, combined with the capabilities of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), will make Los Alamos the nation's premier imaging center. A new supercomputer, Roadrunner, and its promise of sustaining 1 thousand trillion operations per second, will put the Laboratory in the forefront of supercomputing.

In addition to those signature Los Alamos facilities, materials science and actinide chemistry laboratories, gas guns, and firing sites are making vital contributions to Stockpile Stewardship.

Manufacturing and certifying a pit without testing has been a major challenge of Stockpile Stewardship. As described in this issue of 1663, Los Alamos met that challenge June 6 when the U.S. Department of Energy accepted a Laboratory-produced pit, the first pit accepted since Rocky Flats shut down. This accomplishment resulted from the efforts of employees at all levels across the Laboratory.

Los Alamos has demonstrated the success of Stockpile Stewardship, thereby laying a foundation for the United States to maintain its nuclear deterrent through a capability-based approach. The success of this approach requires moving to a stockpile of reliable replacement warheads, investing in key facilities such as LANSCE-R and the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research replacement building, recruiting and retaining the best technical staff, and integrating more completely with other elements of the weapons complex.