The National Nuclear Security Administration has announced that dismantlement of the B53 nuclear bomb inventory will soon begin at the Energy Department’s Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Tex. The United States introduced this thermonuclear bomb type into its stockpile in 1962. It is about the size of a mini-van and weighs approximately 10,000 pounds. B-47, B-52, and B-58 bombers were able to carry it. The weapon, with a reported nine-megaton yield, was a key part of the US nuclear deterrent until its retirement in 1997. The B61-11 replaced it. The current B53 inventory is classified. The dismantlement process at Pantex will entail taking the bombs apart by physically separating the high explosives from the special nuclear material and then processing the material and components for reuse, demilitarization, sanitization, recycling, and ultimate disposal. NNSA said the B53 dismantlement “is consistent with President Obama’s goal of reducing” the nation’s nuclear stockpile. (For background, see Being Transparent from the Daily Report archives.)
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
