Sandia is responsible for a variety of safety and security features of nuclear weapons.
We design safety components and subsystems based on fundamental science-based principles to prevent energy from unintentionally reaching the nuclear explosives components.
Weapons security requires denying adversaries access to the weapon and its internal features so that unauthorized detonation cannot be achieved. Because of evolving threats and the dynamic nature of our adversaries’ abilities, Sandia applies threat-independent design principles to assure security in all situations. Our security approach to weapon system design is complementary to the formidable physical security systems provided by the military and the National Nuclear Security Administration.