In an era of geopolitical instability and rising nuclear powers, the United States faces an urgent need to modernize its nuclear arsenal, particularly its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) forces. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently announced a key milestone in this endeavor—the completion of the first weapon-ready plutonium pit for the … Leggi tutto The Imperatives and Complexities of the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Modernization: A Detailed Examination of the W87-1 Warhead and Plutonium Pit Production