Weapons

Sandia National Laboratories' principal mission is to support national defense policies by ensuring that the nuclear weapon stockpile meets the highest standards of safety, security, control, and military performance. Our commitment to this mission is uncompromising.

This mission encompasses a broad range of nuclear weapon obligations, including

Primary responsibility for the systems engineering leading to weaponization of the nuclear explosives designed by Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, including the design of most of the weapon components related to weapon surety (safety, security, and use control) and reliability
Primary responsibility for developing methods by which the design performance of non-nuclear components may be verified throughout stockpile life
Shared responsibility for developing of the processes by which weapons are produced and dismantled
Direct participation, at numerous levels, in the vital national processes that guide the management of risks associated with the production, refurbishment, deployment, assessment, possible use, and eventual dismantlement of nuclear weapons.

Sandia participates in national risk-management processes both to understand the risks and to assure risk mitigation. We apply risk-assessment techniques and risk-aversion design principles that are fundamentally unique to the field of nuclear weapons.

Because of the unique requirements on risk management for nuclear weapons, Sandia also develops and refines the tools and technologies for risk assessment and their application to nuclear weapons.

Other pages in this brochure present information on three examples of Sandia's work on risk assessment for nuclear weapons:

For further information, contact:

David J. Havlik
Sandia National Laboratories, MS-9006
7011 East Avenue
Livermore, CA 94550
Phone: (510) 294-2118
e-mail: djhavli@sandia.gov

Submitted October 1996
Layout design by Wanda Mar.