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Global Reality,
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The Ongoing RoleAlthough America's modern defense strategy includes nuclear weapons, it also relies upon diplomacy, economic leverage, and conventional military forces. U.S. national security goals include maintaining an efficient and responsive nuclear stockpile, promoting international nuclear safety and nonproliferation, and reducing global danger from weapons of mass destruction. The Cold WarIn 1949, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic weapon, leading to an "arms race" with the United States. The resultant stalemate between the two superpowers ensured a certain degree of global stability. The Manhattan ProjectOn July 16, 1945, Los Alamos physicist Joe McKibben threw the switch that detonated the world's first atomic bomb. The resultant explosion ushered what would become known as the Atomic Age. |
ConfidenceThe nation's security depends upon its nuclear arsenal. The arsenal must be reliable, perform as expected, and be secure. Los Alamos National Laboratory provides the science and engineering that ensures, to the highest degree possible, the arsenal is safe and ready. Bob Putnam, Pit Production Manufacturing Program Office |