St. Joseph Church
Bristol, Connecticut

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D.Min.
Pastoral Minister

De-alerting Submarine-based Weapons

The force of U.S. submarines kept at sea is reduced from about a dozen ships to five or six, and these submarines patrol in parts of the ocean far from Russia. The number of missiles per submarine is reduced from 24 to 12.

Crucial SLBM electronic components such as guidance systems are removed, stored onboard, and electronically sealed. Reinstalling these components in one submarine requires about 18 to 36 hours.

For verification purposes on a rotating basis, individual submarines surface or release a radio buoy to send an encrypted signal (using codes provided by Russia) proving that the electronic component seals have not been broken. These transmissions also demonstrate that the submarines have not left their remote patrol areas.

After Russian forces have been verifiably de-alerted, the United States takes one or more steps to further lengthen nuclear launch time. For example, all the warheads could be removed from missiles and stored in empty launch tubes in the same submarine. The warheads could be reinstalled if necessary, but not without surfacing, and only in calm seas or a shelter harbor. This operation would be time-consuming and readily observable through National Technical Means.

Pin open the switches of missile motors so they cannot be started by remote electronic command.

Take launch keys away from missile officers so they can’t act independently.

Shut off missile launch circuits.

Deploy submarines out of range of their targets.

Remove warheads from the delivery systems, storing them, and putting them under international monitoring.

Reduce the yields of all warheads by removing components known as tritium bottles and storing them separately.

The United States realistically assesses its entire alerted, deployed arsenal. Even at 80% reduction from the current U.S. arsenal of more than 2,000 fully alerted warheads would maintain a wide margin of overkill. As it reduces its ready-to-launch arsenal, the United States calls upon Russia to make similar reductions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already suggested deeper nuclear arms reductions than the United States has considered officially.

The U.S. President initiates de-alerting by ordering that all U.S. ballistic missile submarines assume a low level of alert. The four U.S. submarines currently on 15-minute notice-to-fire adopt the same low-level alert stance as the other eight U.S. submarines routinely kept as sea. Submarines are deployed out of range of their targets, where they periodically surface for observation by satellites or aircraft. Vital components from their missiles are removed or stored onboard. The U.S. President invites Russia to reciprocate.

The smaller U.S. retaliatory arsenal is allocated entirely to submarines, and all land-based nuclear missiles are fully de-alerted by such measures as shutting off their launch circuits and detaching their warheads. Many of the warheads are stored in nearby empty silos where they are monitored.

The presidents of the United States and Russia eliminate launch-on-warning from the repertoire of options in their countries war plans and immediately order changes in command systems and emergency war order procedures, thus doing away with the need for weapons on hair-trigger alert.

Both presidents engage the other nuclear powers in establishing a full-scale de-alerting and verification regime and agree to put their entire arsenals under international observation on the condition that the other nuclear powers follow suit in a transparent manner.

Compiled by Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created 3/10/2001