What is Complex Transformation?
Complex Transformation is the Bush administration's proposed plan to reorganize the nation's nuclear weapons infrastructure. The administration's goal is to consolidate existing nuclear facilities while increasing the capacity to produce material for new nuclear weapons. According to a report released jointly with the Department of Energy (DOE) on January 10, 2008, the administration seeks an annual production capacity of 80 plutonium pits (triggers for new nuclear bombs) as a result of the transformation. The main justification for the program is the perceived need for a more adaptable and responsive nuclear infrastructure to react to unnamed future threats. The administration is currently considering several alternatives for achieving its goals.
* Find answers to your questions about this proposal. Download Q & A as a (PDF) flyer.
* Download FCNL's color Complex Transformation (PDF) fact sheet.
Does Complex Transformation have anything to do with the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program?
Yes. RRW is a series of warheads designed to replace the current nuclear arsenal due to concerns about the aging of existing weapons. Congress funded research for the program for three years. However, full production could not commence without the implementation of the Complex Transformation plan. Before moving forward with RRW, Congress contracted an elite scientific advisory group called JASON to determine whether the administration's claims about aging warheads were true. The JASON group determined the claims were inaccurate. Most warheads were assessed to have a lifespan of over one century.
How can you affect the process?
Fortunately, environmental regulations require the architects of Complex Transformation to consider comments from the general public. The aforementioned report contains a summary of past public input. The over public 33,000 comments the DOE received last year were overwhelmingly opposed producing new nuclear material and weapons. Public opinion and Congress forced the administration to roll back its proposal from 200 proposed plutonium pits per year to 80.