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60-649: After the United States' 1992 moratorium on live nuclear testing, the Stockpile Stewardship Program was created in order to find a way to test, and maintain the nuclear stockpile. In response, the National Nuclear Security Administration began to simulate the nuclear warheads using supercomputers. As the stockpile ages, the simulations have become more complex, and the maintenance of the stockpile requires more computing power. Over

120-410: A propellant charge of more than four ounces [113 g], missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce [7 g], or mine or device similar to the above. (2) Poison gas. (3) Any weapon involving a disease organism. (4) Any weapon that is designed to release radiation at a level dangerous to human life. For the general purposes of national defense, the U.S. Code defines

180-493: A Weapon of Mass Destruction may be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, and if resulting in death, be punishable by death or by imprisonment for any terms of years or for life. They can also be asked to pay a maximum fine of $ 250,000. The Washington Post reported on 30 March 2006: "Jurors asked the judge in the death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui today to define the term 'weapons of mass destruction' and were told it includes airplanes used as missiles". Moussaoui

240-637: A card that trumps all forms of aggression"). In its criminal complaint against the main suspect of the Boston Marathon bombing of 15 April 2013, the FBI refers to a pressure-cooker improvised bomb as a "weapon of mass destruction." There have been calls to classify at least some classes of cyber weapons as WMD, in particular those aimed to bring about large-scale (physical) destruction, such as by targeting critical infrastructure . However, some scholars have objected to classifying cyber weapons as WMD on

300-602: A chemical weapons stockpile in 2009 which U.N. personnel had secured after the 1991 Gulf War. The stockpile contained mainly chemical precursors, but some munitions remained usable. Because of its prolific use and (worldwide) public profile during this period, the American Dialect Society voted "weapons of mass destruction" (and its abbreviation, "WMD") the word of the year in 2002, and in 2003 Lake Superior State University added WMD to its list of terms banished for "Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness" (and "as

360-646: A pre-operational nuclear reactor inside Iraq by the Israeli Air Force in 1981, the Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin , countered criticism by saying that "on no account shall we permit an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction against the people of Israel." This policy of pre-emptive action against real or perceived weapons of mass destruction became known as the Begin Doctrine . The term "weapons of mass destruction" continued to see periodic use, usually in

420-502: A speech at Rice University on 12 September 1962, President John F. Kennedy spoke of not filling space "with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding." The following month, during a televised presentation about the Cuban Missile Crisis on 22 October 1962, Kennedy made reference to "offensive weapons of sudden mass destruction." An early use of the exact phrase in an international treaty

480-705: A speech at the United Nations probably written by Herbert Bayard Swope ). The phrase found its way into the very first resolution the United Nations General assembly adopted in January 1946 in London, which used the wording "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other weapons adaptable to mass destruction." The resolution also created the Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor of

540-448: A weapon of mass destruction as: For the purposes of the prevention of weapons proliferation , the U.S. Code defines weapons of mass destruction as "chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and chemical, biological, and nuclear materials used in the manufacture of such weapons". For the purposes of U.S. criminal law concerning terrorism, weapons of mass destruction are defined as: The Federal Bureau of Investigation 's definition

600-428: A weapon of mass destruction". He prefers to call chemical and biological weapons "weapons of terror" when aimed against civilians and "weapons of intimidation" for soldiers. Testimony of one such soldier expresses the same viewpoint. For a period of several months in the winter of 2002–2003, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz frequently used the term "weapons of mass terror", apparently also recognizing

660-514: Is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science . NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction ; provides the United States Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion ; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in

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720-491: Is directed inwards, causing the pit of uranium or plutonium to compress to a dense point. Once the uranium/plutonium is dense enough, neutrons are then injected. This starts a fission chain reaction also known as an atomic explosion. Nuclear fusion is essentially the opposite of fission. It is the fusing together of nuclei, not the splitting of it. When exposed to extreme pressure and temperature, some lightweight nuclei can fuse together and form heavier nuclei, releasing energy in

780-481: Is in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, but the treaty provides no definition of the phrase, and the treaty also categorically prohibits the stationing of "weapons" and the testing of "any type of weapon" in outer space, in addition to its specific prohibition against placing in orbit, or installing on celestial bodies, "any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction." During

840-543: Is responsible for maintaining and creating the supercomputer software according to NNSA's standards. They also deal with the data, networking and software tools. The ASCI Path Forward project substantially funded the initial development of the Lustre parallel file system from 2001 to 2004. The Verification and Validation subdivision is responsible for mathematically verifying the simulations and outcomes. They also help software engineers write more precise codes in order to decrease

900-470: Is responsible for providing efficient nuclear propulsion plants to the United States Navy. It is also known as Naval Reactors . It conducts the design, development and operational support required to power all the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines . The program consists of both civilian and military personnel who maintain, design, build, and manage the reactors. The following are

960-583: Is responsible for the mathematical codes that are produced by the supercomputers. They use these mathematical codes, and present them in a way that is understandable to humans. These codes are then used by the National Nuclear Society Administration, the Stockpile Steward Program, Life Extension Program, and Significant Finding Investigation, in order to decide the next steps that need to be taken in order to secure and lengthen

1020-402: Is similar to that presented above from the terrorism statute: Indictments and convictions for possession and use of WMD such as truck bombs, pipe bombs , shoe bombs, and cactus needles coated with a biological toxin have been obtained under 18 USC 2332a. As defined by 18 USC §2332 (a), a Weapon of Mass Destruction is: Under the same statute, conspiring, attempting, threatening, or using

1080-408: Is when the nucleus of an atom is split into smaller nuclei. This process can be induced by shooting a neutron at the nucleus of an atom. When the neutron is absorbed by the atom, it becomes unstable, causing it to split and release energy. Modern nuclear weapons start this process by detonating chemical explosives around a pit of either uranium-235 or plutonium-239 metal. The force from this detonation

1140-635: The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, an increased fear of nonconventional weapons and asymmetric warfare took hold in many countries. The fear reached a crescendo with the 2002 Iraq disarmament crisis and the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that became the primary justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq ; however, American forces found none in Iraq. They found old stockpiles of chemical munitions including sarin and mustard agents , but all were considered to be unusable because of corrosion or degradation. Iraq, however, declared

1200-546: The Cold War , the term "weapons of mass destruction" was primarily a reference to nuclear weapons. At the time, in the West the euphemism " strategic weapons " was used to refer to the American nuclear arsenal. However, there is no precise definition of the "strategic" category, neither considering range nor yield of the nuclear weapon . Subsequent to Operation Opera , the destruction of

1260-519: The Cold War , the term came to refer more to non- conventional weapons . The application of the term to specifically nuclear and radiological weapons is traced by William Safire to the Russian phrase "Оружие массового поражения" – oruzhiye massovogo porazheniya (weapon of mass destruction). William Safire credits James Goodby (of the Brookings Institution ) with tracing what he considers

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1320-593: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)). An exact use of this term was given in a lecture titled " Atomic Energy as a Contemporary Problem" by J. Robert Oppenheimer . He delivered the lecture to the Foreign Service and the State Department , on 17 September 1947. It is a very far reaching control which would eliminate the rivalry between nations in this field, which would prevent

1380-479: The TOP500 list for computing power. This list changes every six months, so please visit https://top500.org/lists/top500/ for the latest list of NNSA machines. Although these computers may be in separate laboratories, remote computing has been established between the three main laboratories. The ASC program publishes a quarterly newsletter describing many of its research accomplishments and hardware milestones. Within

1440-705: The Top500 list. Another important asset used to test the stockpile is the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at LLNL , a laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device. NIF achieved the first scientific breakeven controlled fusion experiment on December 5, 2022, with an energy gain factor of 1.5. Since then four additional ignition shots followed the December experiment: July 30, 2023; October 8, 2023; October 30, 2023; and February 12, 2024. The most recent experiment produced an estimated 5.2 MJ—more than doubling

1500-426: The U.S. President , the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency , the U.S. Department of Defense , and the U.S. Government Accountability Office . Other documents expand the definition of WMD to also include radiological or conventional weapons . The U.S. military refers to WMD as: Chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons capable of a high order of destruction or causing mass casualties and exclude

1560-409: The biosphere . The scope and usage of the term has evolved and been disputed, often signifying more politically than technically. Originally coined in reference to aerial bombing with chemical explosives during World War II , it has later come to refer to large-scale weaponry of warfare -related technologies, such as biological , chemical , radiological , or nuclear warfare . The first use of

1620-400: The 1990 invasion of Kuwait and 1991 Gulf War , Iraq's nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs became a particular concern of the first Bush Administration . Following the war, Bill Clinton and other western politicians and media continued to use the term, usually in reference to ongoing attempts to dismantle Iraq's weapons programs . After the 11 September 2001 attacks and

1680-513: The ASC program, there are six subdivisions, each having their own role in the extension of the life of the stockpile. The Facility Operations and User Support subdivision is responsible for the physical computers and facilities and the computing network within ASC. They are responsible for making sure the tri-lab network, computing storage space, power usage, and the customer computing resources are all in line. The Computational and User Support subdivision

1740-549: The Office of Materials Management and Minimization is divided into three subprograms: Conversion, Nuclear Materials Removal, and Material Disposition. Through this office and its predecessors, NNSA has successfully led the recovery efforts of nuclear materials from dozens of countries. Since 1996, the Department of Energy/NNSA has disposed of enough material to produce more than 325 nuclear weapons. For example, in 2017, it removed all

1800-766: The Super Bowl. NNSA provides expertise, tools and technically informed policy recommendations to advance U.S. nuclear counterterrorism and counterproliferation objectives. It is responsible for understanding nuclear threat devices and foreign activities that cause proliferation concerns. To do this, members of the counterproliferation office confer with international counterparts on nuclear security and counterterrorism; conduct scientific research to characterize, detect and defeat nuclear threat devices; develop and conduct WMD counterterrorism exercises; and promote nuclear information security policy and practices. NNSA's Nuclear Propulsion Program – working with Naval Nuclear Laboratories –

1860-711: The United Kingdom's Butler Review recognized the "considerable and long-standing academic debate about the proper interpretation of the phrase 'weapons of mass destruction ' ". The committee set out to avoid the general term but when using it, employed the definition of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 , which defined the systems which Iraq was required to abandon: Chemical weapons expert Gert G. Harigel considers only nuclear weapons true weapons of mass destruction, because "only nuclear weapons are completely indiscriminate by their explosive power, heat radiation and radioactivity, and only they should therefore be called

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1920-621: The United States and abroad. Established by the United States Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the United States Department of Energy . The current Administrator is Jill Hruby . The National Nuclear Security Administration was created by Congressional action in 1999, in the wake of the Wen Ho Lee spy scandal and other allegations that lax administration by the Department of Energy had resulted in

1980-470: The context of nuclear arms control ; Ronald Reagan used it during the 1986 Reykjavík Summit , when referring to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty . Reagan's successor, George H. W. Bush , used the term in a 1989 speech to the United Nations, primarily in reference to chemical arms. The end of the Cold War reduced U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons as a deterrent, causing it to shift its focus to disarmament. With

2040-913: The distinction between the psychological and the physical effects of many things currently falling into the WMD category. Gustavo Bell Lemus , the Vice President of Colombia , at 9 July 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, quoted the Millennium Report of the UN Secretary-General to the General Assembly , in which Kofi Annan said that small arms could be described as WMD because

2100-423: The earliest known English-language use soon after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (although it is not quite verbatim): a communique from a 15 November 1945, meeting of Harry Truman , Clement Attlee and Mackenzie King (probably drafted by Vannevar Bush , as Bush claimed in 1970) referred to "weapons adaptable to mass destruction." Safire says Bernard Baruch used that exact phrase in 1946 (in

2160-577: The effectiveness of the American nuclear weapons stockpile include the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility (DARHT) at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Contained Firing Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories. NNSA also uses powerful supercomputers to run simulations and validate experimental data; these computers often appear on

2220-401: The elements of the program: NNSA has several offices that support its primary missions. Among them are: NNSA's Office of Emergency Operations has the obligation of responding to emergencies on behalf of the entire Department of Energy. Its high level of alertness allows the United States to respond to incidents in a rapid manner. NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Security is responsible for

2280-405: The existing nuclear deterrent through the use of science experiments, engineering audits and high-tech simulations at its three national laboratories : Los Alamos National Laboratory , Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , and Sandia National Laboratories . It also creates new weapons programs as required by the United States Department of Defense . NNSA assets used to maintain and ensure

2340-476: The fatalities they cause "dwarf that of all other weapons systems – and in most years greatly exceed the toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki ". An additional condition often implicitly applied to WMD is that the use of the weapons must be strategic. In other words, they would be designed to "have consequences far outweighing the size and effectiveness of the weapons themselves". The strategic nature of WMD also defines their function in

2400-508: The finish line of the Boston Marathon. He was convicted in April 2015. The bombing resulted in three deaths and at least 264 injuries. The development and use of WMD is governed by several international conventions and treaties . Nuclear weapons use the energy inside of an atom's nucleus to create massive explosions. This goal is achieved through nuclear fission and fusion. Nuclear fission

2460-470: The grounds that they "cannot [currently] directly injure or kill human beings as efficiently as guns or bombs" or clearly "meet the legal and historical definitions" of WMD. The most widely used definition of "weapons of mass destruction" is that of nuclear , biological , or chemical weapons (NBC) although there is no treaty or customary international law that contains an authoritative definition. Instead, international law has been used with respect to

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2520-609: The highly enriched uranium from Ghana and repatriated it to China. The Ghanaian reactor now uses low-enriched uranium. NNSA's Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation focuses on: The office oversees the capabilities of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team . NNSA deploys response teams dozens of times each year, usually to check for radioactive materials. Missions assuage safety concerns, support other agencies, and bolster law enforcement capabilities at large public events such as presidential inaugurations and

2580-488: The input energy of 2.2 MJ. The Office of Secure Transportation provides safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear materials, and conducts other missions supporting national security. OST shipments are moved in specially designed equipment and escorted by armed and specially trained federal agents . NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation works with international partners, federal agencies, U.S. national laboratories, and

2640-483: The life of the nuclear stockpile. The Advanced Technology Development and Mitigation subdivision is responsible for researching developments in high performance computing. Once information is found on the next generation of high performance computing, they decide what software and hardware needs to be adapted in order to prepare for the next generation of computers. National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration ( NNSA )

2700-465: The loss of U.S. nuclear secrets to China. Originally proposed to be an independent agency, it was instead chartered as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy to be headed by an administrator reporting to the Secretary of Energy. The first Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA administrator appointed was Air Force General (and CIA Deputy Director) John A. Gordon . In 2006, it

2760-603: The margin of error when the computations are run. The Physics and Engineering Models subdivision is responsible for deciphering the mathematical and physical analysis of nuclear weapons. They integrate physics models into the codes in order to gain a more accurate simulation. They deal with the way that the nuclear weapon will act under certain conditions based on physics. They also study nuclear properties, vibrations, high explosives, advanced hydrodynamics , material strength and damage, thermal and fluid response, and radiation and electrical responses. The Integrated Codes subdivision

2820-560: The means of transporting or propelling the weapon where such means is a separable and divisible part from the weapon. Also called WMD. This may also refer to nuclear ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles). The significance of the words separable and divisible part of the weapon is that missiles such as the Pershing II and the SCUD are considered weapons of mass destruction, while aircraft capable of carrying bombloads are not. In 2004,

2880-424: The military doctrine of total war as targeting the means a country would use to support and supply its war effort, specifically its population, industry, and natural resources. Within U.S. civil defense organizations, the category is now Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE), which defines WMD as: (1) Any explosive , incendiary , poison gas , bomb, grenade , or rocket having

2940-642: The new weapons of mass destruction? At the time, nuclear weapons had not been developed fully. Japan conducted research on biological weapons (see Unit 731 ) , and chemical weapons had seen wide battlefield use in World War I . Their use was outlawed by the Geneva Protocol of 1925. Italy used mustard agent against civilians and soldiers in Ethiopia in 1935–36 . Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II and during

3000-607: The overall security of facilities housing nuclear weapons as well as the components and materials required to develop them -- this includes oversight of Federal Protective Forces at NNSA's labs, plants, and sites. The office also safeguards personnel and produces threat assessments. Weapon of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD ) is a biological , chemical , radiological , nuclear , or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natural structures (e.g., mountains), or

3060-640: The private sector to discover, protect, and or dispose of radiological and nuclear materials. The office strives to: The agency created the Global Threat Reduction Initiative in 2004 to expand efforts similar to the Cooperative Threat Reduction program beyond the former Soviet Union. In 2016, GTRI was renamed the Office of Materials Management and Minimization, and continues the efforts of supporting reactor conversions, fuel returns, and LEU fuel development. The work of

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3120-406: The process. Fusion weapons (also known as “thermonuclear” or “hydrogen” weapons) use the fission process to initiate fusion. Fusion weapons use the energy released from a fission explosion to fuse hydrogen isotopes together. The energy released from these weapons creates a fireball, which reaches tens of million degrees. A temperature of this magnitude is similar to the temperature found at center of

3180-428: The same category as chemical and " dirty bomb " radiological weapons, which have limited destructive potential (and close to none, as far as property is concerned), whereas nuclear and biological weapons have the unique ability to kill large numbers of people with very small amounts of material, and thus could be said to belong in a class by themselves. The NBC definition has also been used in official U.S. documents, by

3240-433: The specific categories of weapons within WMD, and not to WMD as a whole. While nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are regarded as the three major types of WMDs, some analysts have argued that radiological materials as well as missile technology and delivery systems such as aircraft and ballistic missiles could be labeled as WMDs as well. However, there is an argument that nuclear and biological weapons do not belong in

3300-875: The sun, so it shouldn't be any surprise to learn that the sun runs on fusion as well. The only country to have used a nuclear weapon in war is the United States , which dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. At the start of 2023, nine states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) and Israel—together possessed approximately 12 512 nuclear weapons, of which 9576 were considered to be potentially operationally available. An estimated 3844 of these warheads were deployed with operational forces, including about 2000 that were kept in

3360-449: The surreptitious arming of one nation against another, which would provide some cushion of time before atomic attack, and presumably therefore before any attack with weapons of mass destruction, and which would go a long way toward removing atomic energy at least as a source of conflict between the powers. The term was also used in the introduction to the hugely influential U.S. government document known as NSC 68 written in 1950. During

3420-438: The term "weapon of mass destruction" on record is by Cosmo Gordon Lang , Archbishop of Canterbury , in 1937 in reference to the bombing of Guernica , Spain: Who can think at this present time without a sickening of the heart of the appalling slaughter, the suffering, the manifold misery brought by war to Spain and to China ? Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all

3480-610: The years, due to Moore's Law , the ASC program has created several different supercomputers with increasing power, in order to compute the simulations and mathematics. In celebration of 25 years of ASC accomplishments, the Advanced Simulation and Computing Program has published this report . The majority of ASC's research is done on supercomputers in three different laboratories. The calculations are verified by human calculations. The ASC program has three laboratories: The ASC program currently houses numerous supercomputers on

3540-439: Was confirmed that NNSA employee information had been hacked. A report criticized the response. NNSA's Administrator took responsibility. NNSA has the following missions with regard to national security: One of NNSA's primary missions is to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile. After the Cold War , the U.S. voluntarily ended underground nuclear testing . NNSA maintains

3600-481: Was indicted and tried for conspiracy to both destroy aircraft and use weapons of mass destruction, among others. The surviving Boston Marathon bombing perpetrator, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , was charged in June 2013 with the federal offense of "use of a weapon of mass destruction" after he and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev allegedly placed crude shrapnel bombs, made from pressure cookers packed with ball bearings and nails, near

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