Several wildfires are scorching the Texas panhandle with thousands evacuated
Wildfires sweeping across Texas briefly forced the evacuation of America’s main nuclear weapons facility as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the blaze.
Pantex Plant, the main facility that assembles and disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal, shut down its operations on Tuesday night as the Windy Deuce fire roared towards the Potter County location.
Wait what. We still are producing nuclear weapons? I thought we had agreed not to do that.
Read the article. It tells you they havent produced one since 1991
Then what the fuck are they doing in there?
Well, there’s the other part where they dismantle them.
Ans then reassemble?
For thirty-three years?
What, you think taking apart nuclear missiles is something you do fast?
We have like 3000 of them that are still active as well that this company maintaines too.
Yes? The US wanted to downsize after the cold war to save on maintenance. Not give up nukes entirely. Why the HELL would the US give up nukes entirely? At what point in US history have we ever given up a game changer like nuclear deterrance (as dumb as it is, war itself is dumb)?
Government work (contracted or otherwise) is sloooooow
Maintenance and disassembly are the other things listed. Also apparently ongoing remediation of contaminated perched groundwater, possibly soil work.
They do maintenance on existing weapons, which require regular maintenance