History of US nuclear weapon safety assessment: The early years

Conference · Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:243486

Spray, S D

From the beginnings of the U.S. nuclear weapons program, military and civilian dual- agency judgment has been fundamental to achieving nuclear weapon and weapon system safety. This interaction was initiated by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which created the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The principle of using dual-agency judgment has been perpetuated in the design and assessment of the weapon and weapon system acceptance process since that time. This fundamental approach is still used today in all phases of the weapon life. In this paper, an overview of the history and philosophy of the approach is described.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 243486
• Report Number(s): SAND-96-1099C; CONF-9605127-2; ON: DE96010559; TRN: 96:003516
• Resource Relation: Conference: International conference on non-proliferation and safeguards of nuclear materials in Russia, Moscow (Russian Federation), 14-17 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
SAFETY ANALYSIS
ATOMIC ENERGY ACT
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
STANDARDS
US DOD
US DOE
PERSONNEL