Centrifuge technology is at the heart of the enrichment process, and the line between its uses for civilian and military purposes is hard to distinguish. Once a country has mastered this technology, the centrifuges can be reconfigured into cascades to either produce fuel for an electricity-generating nuclear reactor or the 25 kilograms of weapon-grade uranium […]
Fact Sheet: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Nuclear energy exhibits great potential as a low-carbon energy source, but carries inherent risks of diversion to weapons-related uses. At its core, the nuclear fuel cycle includes the various industrial processes associated with the production of electricity from uranium in nuclear reactors. However, some of the industrial processes more easily open the door to produce […]
Fact Sheet: U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
Nuclear weapons owned by the United States have been deployed in Europe since the mid-1950s, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized their storage at allied North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bases on the continent for use against the Soviet Union. Though NATO officially declares itself a “nuclear alliance,” it does not own any nuclear weapons. […]
Fact Sheet: U.S. Plutonium Pit Production
Updated November 20, 2024 Plutonium pits are a critical component of all U.S. nuclear weapons. The pit acts as a trigger: on detonation, the plutonium sets off a small nuclear reaction, creating a larger secondary explosion in the main nuclear payload. The United States produced between 1,000 and 2,000 pits per year during the Cold […]
Fact Sheet: Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles
Updated June 2024 Despite the Biden administration’s previous decision not to pursue the development of a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) and its associated warhead, the W80-4 ALT, due to cost and strategic considerations, Congress provided funding for the continuation of the SLCM-N program in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. In FY23 budget […]
