Nuclear Weapons Support

The AFNWC is the executing agency for the Nuclear Weapon System Technology and Integration (NWST&I) program that ensures the safety, survivability, security, and effectiveness of AF nuclear weapon systems in direct support to the military operators and force providers. Emphasis is placed on ensuring nuclear weapon system compatibility, validating nuclear safety designs, generating weapon system safety rules, developing flight profiles for safe and effective nuclear weapons delivery, characterizing the inherent hardness/survivability of Department of Air Force conventional and nuclear weapon systems in adversarial threat environments, exposing vulnerabilities which could compromise the authorized use of nuclear weapons, and developing mitigations to any nuclear weapon system safety, security, or effectiveness shortfalls (to include future concept development). These requirements are met through in-depth technical, operational, and intelligence evaluations, demonstrations, modeling and simulation (M&S), test and evaluation (T&E), trade studies, requirements analysis, and recommendations to planning, policy, and doctrine. Additionally, the program conducts DoW-required certification for legacy, modernized, and new nuclear weapon systems. The Air Force Safety Center (AFSEC), provides guidance, direction, and oversight of all matters pertaining to emerging weapons technologies including nuclear surety of all nuclear weapons and weapon systems in Air Force custody and facilities, from storage and assembling, testing, transporting, and delivering it on target. AFSEC collaborates with DAF nuclear stakeholders to implement a nuclear weapons systems safety and surety program as part of the overall Air Force Nuclear Surety Program, as directed by DoDD 3150.02, DoW Nuclear Weapons Surety Program and DoDM 3150.02, DoW Nuclear Weapon System Safety Program Manual. Emphasis is placed on ensuring nuclear weapon system prevention of loss (safety), validating nuclear safety designs, coordinating interagency weapon system safety rules for OSW, exposing vulnerabilities which could compromise the authorized use of nuclear weapons, and developing compensatory measures to any nuclear weapon system safety, security, or operational non-compliance (to include future concept development and cybersecurity and zero-trust implications on surety).

The modernization of legacy nuclear systems, development of new nuclear-capable aircraft and munitions, and the creation of the new Weapon Generation Facilities (WGF) within Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) may require new support equipment capabilities to meet system and mission requirements. Additionally, the WGF introduces a new concept of operations by integrating maintenance and storage mission sets into one facility. To support mission generation requirements, support equipment and capabilities related to the nuclear enterprise must be studied, reviewed, modified, or in extreme cases, re-developed to maintain operational readiness. In FY25, user requirements increased the 3K aerial stores lift truck capability to 4K due to increased length/weight of new munitions. Examples of equipment under review include but are not limited to: (a) next-generation 4K and 7K aerial stores lift trucks; and (b) the Electric Manually Operated Lift Truck (EMOLT) to replace the aged MHU-194 Manually Operated Lift Truck (MOLT). The Next Generation Large Munitions unit, also known as the MHU-TSX, will integrate advanced technology such as machine vision and supervised autonomy and agile maneuverability to reduce the time associated with loading and transporting weapons both internally (threshold) and externally (objective) on AFGSC aircraft. The review, analysis, and potential modification of existing equipment ensures mission generation remains executable. This program element included all necessary expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, and 0605898F. In FY 2026 $0 million was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in FY 2027 $0 million is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element.

The AFNWC is the executing agency for the Engineering Analysis (EA) program that supplies and maintains technical expertise on all AF nuclear weapons and systems by ensuring model based digital engineering integration into systems engineering and mission engineering processes through the application of modular designs /approaches. The EA program develops a digitally informed workforce, increases assurance for fielded systems in a cost-effective and efficient manner, and increases the integration of nuclear weapons systems with war-fighter mission capability assessment. The EA program supplies resources for technical and programmatic activities which include performing independent analyses on all stages of AF nuclear weapon systems life-cycles including weapons development, sustainment, interoperability, compatibility, training, safety, security, reliability, cybersecurity, and AF legacy nuclear stockpile management /retirement. The program provides for the development and maintenance of a nuclear enterprise architecture to ensure alignment and integration of nuclear weapon system capabilities and interfaces. The data management and information technology modernization efforts increase quality and flexibility of design, development, and fielding of nuclear capabilities to the war-fighter by leveraging design and sustainment data across the enterprise aligned to an AFNWC wide data strategy. The implementation of digital engineering and Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) efforts will facilitate the rapid testing, analysis, and delivery of nuclear weapon systems to address evolving threats. Digital transformation tools - automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence - and technological solution implementation will improve AFNWC business processes efficiency and effectiveness to address current government operational needs and focus on higher-value activities. The EA digital engineering efforts also include cloud-based implementation technologies that will be configured to ensure all data analysis and visualizations reach back to a single authoritative data source of truth. This program element included all necessary expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, and 0605898F.