Posted on 10/17/2009 12:54:48 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Pentagon has missed the deadline set by the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review for the retirement of the W62 nuclear warhead.
Retirement of the warhead, which arms a portion of the 450 U.S. Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, was scheduled for completion in Fiscal Year 2009, which ended on September 30th.
But the Department of Defense has been unable to confirm the warhead has been retired, saying instead earlier today: “The retirement of the W62 is progressing toward completion.”
The 2001 Nuclear Posture Review decided that, “the W62 will be retired by the end of Fiscal Year 2009.” The schedule was later reaffirmed by government officials and budget documents. But the February 2009 NNSA budget for Fiscal Year 2010 did not report a retirement but a reduction in “W62 Stockpile Systems” – meaning the warhead was still in the Department of Defense stockpile, adding that a final annual assessment report and dismantlement activities will be accomplished in FY2010.
Offloading of the W62 from the Minuteman force has been underway for the past several years. First deployed in 1970, the W62 has a yield of 170 kilotons and is the oldest and least safe warhead in the U.S. stockpile. It is being replaced on the Minuteman III by the 310-kiloton W87 warhead previously deployed on the MX/Peacekeeper missile.
(Excerpt) Read more at fas.org ...
The W62 was designed in the late 1960s and manufactured from 1970 to 1976.
What is our current missile system? I know we still operate multiple systems, but I thought that the MX was current.
MX/Peacekeeper only ever had 50 silos, and they retired the lsat ones in 2005. Minuteman 3 is all we have for ground.
The Trident D5 is nothing to sneeze at though.
Wasn't the MX a replacement for Minuteman 3?
And we gave away a superior missile for ... nothing?
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