This up-to-date and authoritative guide to American nuclear weapons provides a comprehensive description of all facets of the history and current status of the nuclear arsenal, plus background data on bomb design and weapons effects. It is an expanded and revised version of the earlier Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Management Handbook and the Nuclear Weapons Council Handbook. Originally published for the use of Action Officers associated with the Nuclear Weapons Council, previous editions have been modified over time to meet the needs of the larger nuclear weapons community as well as those outside the community who seek a better understanding of the subject. This book is intended to be a reference that explains the history and development of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Program as well as the current activities associated with sustaining the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The content is the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters. Contents include: U.S. Nuclear Weapons * History * End of Underground Nuclear Testing * Aging Warheads in an Era of No Nuclear Testing * Modern Safety, Security, and Control * Loss of Technical Expertise * Deterioration of the Nuclear Complex Infrastructure * Stockpile Quantities * Future of the Program * Life-Cycle of Weapons * Production Engineering * First Production * Retirement and Dismantlement * Force Structure * U.S. Defense Objectives * Employment of Nuclear Weapons * U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Composition * Nuclear Stockpile Quantities * U.S. Nuclear Weapons Delivery Systems * Bombers * Submarines * ICBM * Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) * DoD Strategic and Non-Strategic Operational Bases * Nuclear Weapons Program Infrastructure * Complex Transformation * Nuclear Weapons Complex * Stockpile Stewardship Program * The Transition to a Science-Based Substitute * Stockpile Stewardship Program Elements * Surety * Dual Agency Surety Responsibilities * Nuclear Weapons System Safety * Security * DoD Nuclear Weapons Security Standards * DoD and DOE Personnel Security * Nuclear Command and Control (NC2) and Use Control * Quality Assurance and Non-Nuclear Testing * Surveillance Transformation Project (STP) * Stockpile Laboratory Testing (SLT) * Stockpile Flight Testing (SFT) * Safety Validation and Reliability Estimates * Nuclear Weapons Council and Annual Reports * Basic Nuclear Physics * Atomic Structure * Radioactive Decay * Nuclear Reactions * Fission * Fusion * Basic Weapon Designs * Achieving Supercritical Mass * Gun Assembly Weapons * Implosion Assembly Weapons * Boosted Weapons * Staged Weapons * Proliferation Considerations * Effects of Nuclear Weapons * Fireball * Thermal Radiation Damage & Injury * Thermal Radiation Employment Factors * Thermal Radiation Protection * Air Blast Damage & Injury * Ground Shock Damage & Injury * Surface Crater Damage & Injury * Surface Crater Employment Factors * Underwater Shock Damage & Injury * Initial Nuclear Radiation Damage & Injury * Residual Nuclear Radiation Damage & Injury * Residual Nuclear Radiation Employment Factors * Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation * Ionizing Radiation Damage & Injury * Ionizing Radiation Protection * Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) * Transient Radiation Effects on Electronics (TREE) * Black-Out Damage & Injury * Effects Survivability * Effects on Military Systems * Missile Silos * Containers * Weapons Storage Vault * X-ray Effects Testing * Gamma Dose-Rate Effects Testing * Neutron Effects Testing * EMP Effects Testing * Air-Blast Effects Testing * Thermal Radiation Effects Testing * Shock Testing * Underground Nuclear Testing * Early Years of Testing Program * Underground Nuclear Testing (UGT) * Accident Response * Command and Control Survivability * Missile Silos * Containers * Weapons Storage Vault * Tests and Evaluation * X-ray Effects * Gamma Dose-Rate Effects Testing * Total-Dose Effects Testing * Neutron Effects Testing * EMP Effects Testing * Air-Blast Effects