St. Joseph Church
Bristol, Connecticut

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti
Pastoral Minister

De-alerting Nuclear Weapons

The end of the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union did not end the nuclear peril. The real risk of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation will remain so long as nuclear weapons are kept on hair-trigger alert. De-alerting, or deactivating, all nuclear weapons, making them harder to use them, is one way to lessen this danger. Here are some frequently asked questions about de-alerting. The straightforward answers give a full picture of why and how to proceed toward a safer world.

Why is it important to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons?

The elimination of first strike threats and of large-scale nuclear war by accident or miscalculation are the most urgent reasons for de-alerting. As Russia’s nuclear infrastructure deteriorates, nuclear risks are rising. De-alerting would also represent progress toward nuclear disarmament and hence to the fulfillment of Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which requires nations to move toward disarmament. Such progress will be important to prevent the NPT from becoming and "empty shell". It is also important in helping to convince other nations not to "go nuclear".

What are Some of the Ways to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons?

+ Store warheads separately from their delivery systems. This requires secure storage areas and containers. Complete de-alerting of all warheads by this method may therefore take some time.

+ Pin open the switches used to fire missile motors;

+ Remove the pneumatic mechanisms that open missile silo covers;

+ Remove the guidance systems of missiles;

+ Cover land-based missile silos with large mounds of dirt that would have to be removed before a missile could be fired;

+ Remove the tritium bottles from warheads. This does not completely de-alert a warhead, but dramatically reduces its explosive power, greatly diminishing the consequences should an accident occur. Reducing explosive yields also eliminates the potential of an effective first strike against missile silos. This would make the rest of the de-alerting process more secure.

What is the Difference Between De-Alerting and Nuclear Arms Reduction and Disarmament? What are the Connections Between Them?

De-alerting can be carried out in parallel with initiatives such as START II and START III. It means fewer weapons have to be verified and is therefore compatible with nuclear arms reduction. Unlike weapons that have been removed from an arsenal by an arms reduction or disarmament process, a de-alerted weapon can be re-introduced into an arsenal. Some methods of de-alerting, such as pinning open firing switches, are relatively easy to reverse. Others, such as storing warheads separate from their delivery systems at remote locations under multilateral monitoring, would be more difficult to reverse because there would be political as well as technical barriers. The more politically and technically difficult it is to reverse de-alerting and the more verifiable it is by multilateral monitoring, the more closely connected de-alerting will be to nuclear disarmament.

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Compiled by Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created 9/11/2000