The Weapons Laboratories

Government Executive August 1, 1999

Of the 27 national laboratories overseen by the Energy Department, these are the weapons labs that designed, built and still maintain all U.S. nuclear weapons:

    Los Alamos National Laboratory
    Los Alamos, N.M.
     
    Founded: 1943
    Employees: 7,000
    Managed by: University of California (since 1943)
    Responsible for: W78 ICBM warhead; W76 and W88 submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads; W80 cruise missile; and B61 bomb

    Sandia National Laboratories
    Albuquerque, N.M.
     
    Founded: 1949
    Employees: 7,500
    Managed by: Sandia Corp., a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin (took over from AT&T in 1993)
    Responsible for: arming mechanisms, fuses, electronics and other non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    Livermore, Calif.
     
    Founded: 1952
    Employees: 7,300
    Managed by: University of California (since 1952).
    Responsible for: W62 and W87 ICBM warheads; B83 bomb; and W84 cruise missile.

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The Weapons Laboratories
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