Nuclear Weapon System Technology and Integration

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).