Rival US Labs in Arms Race to Build Safer Nuclear Bomb

US scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California gear up for a replay of the fierce competition that marked the development of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Yet observers and policymakers continue to debate the expediency of restarting a new weapons program. Supporters claim that diminishing reliability of the US stockpile of nuclear weapons will reduce the country’s power to deter attacks. Furthermore, by developing a more reliable weapon, they suggest, the US could decrease its overall stockpile. Critics point to a range of political difficulties that will emerge once the US begins developing and testing new bombs. A US program could trigger an international arms race, and certainly make it more challenging for the US to discourage countries such as Iran and North Korea from building their own nuclear weapons. Each lab has its own approach, but proponents insist that any new technology will focus on making nuclear weapons more secure. – YaleGlobal