Biden administration greenlights production of first nuclear warhead in 40 years

Senate testimony by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Jill Hruby revealed the Pentagon is building the first new nuclear warhead in 40 years. 

The W93 warhead will be built without nuclear testing and will be used on submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Currently, the United States is adhering to a prohibition on nuclear testing. 

The warhead is expected to cost $19.8 billion. The NNSA stated on its website that the W93 “will allow the U.S. to keep pace with future adversary threats.”

The Pentagon-Energy Nuclear Weapons Council ordered that W93’s development be sped up.

The move to build the warhead came at the request of Adm. Charles Richard when he was commander of the Omaha-based Strategic Command in 2020. Richard raised concerns about China’s nuclear “breakout.” The country has begun deploying multiwarhead intercontinental ballistic missiles at three large missile fields in its west, with military officials estimating that the fields could have up to 360 missiles.

The W93 has been in the early stages of design at Los Alamos National Laboratory since May 2022 and is “on track” for production to begin in the mid-2030s. Modernization of the nuclear force remains the Pentagon’s top priority.

The new warhead is expected to be lighter than the current W76 and W88. It will allow for greater missile ranges, and the W93 will also have insensitive high explosives used and triggering and improved safety and security in order “to address future threats.” 

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In addition, the Pentagon will be modernizing five warhead types: the B61-12 life extension program, the B61-13, the W88, W87, and W80 for $2.84 billion. The B61 newer model will be built by 2025 and it is a nuclear gravity bomb dropped by aircraft.

“The W93 will meet DoD requirements to enhance operational effectiveness of the U.S. ballistic missile submarine force,” Granholm and Hruby said