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and in the lowered position provides ballistic protection through its hardened lid and reinforced sidewalls. The WS3 system allows storage directly underneath the aircraft intended to carry the bombs, eliminating the need to both store the weapons on the aircraft or to wait for them to be transferred
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The standard system had functioned since the late 1940s, but was unsatisfactory for overseas duty in multiple regards: primarily, it required the weapons be kept mounted on the body of the alert aircraft to ensure they could take off quickly enough when called (despite aircraft not being designed to
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located on or in the vicinity of the base. The process of transferring and mounting the weapons to the aircraft took several hours and required a large coordinated team of security, transportation and engineer personnel; when the alert or exercise was called off, it took an equal amount of time and
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The electronic systems include various classified sensors, along with electronic data-transmission and security equipment such as video, motion detectors, closed circuit TV and thermal imaging devices, thus making the WS3 shelters more secure against
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risk, as any large amount of activity around the weapons bunkers during a time of crisis would be quickly spotted by the
Soviets and interpreted as a prelude to nuclear attack. Lastly, there was a serious risk that wartime damage to airbases from a
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attack would deny access to the bunkers for many weeks without actually destroying them, thus creating a much-feared "soft kill" scenario in which most of NATO's
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The WS3 system consists of a
Weapons Storage Vault (WSV) and electronic monitoring and control systems built into the concrete floor of a specially-secured
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from external bunkers. Very few personnel are needed to operate the unit, and the loading process can be completed in minutes with just a few
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all over the world. These vaults are used for safe special weapons storage, typically of tactical
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Deployment of the WS3 system was authorized in 1988, and they were in widespread use by 1995.
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Office of the Deputy
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters (2008),
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nuclear assets could be rapidly neutralized by a much smaller number of Soviet "soft"
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strikes. In a projected multi-day war, this was feared to be a decisive handicap.
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Mannesmann
Anlagenbau, DĂĽsseldorf, Germany subcontractor mechanical system parts.
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being shown a dummy nuclear weapon in a
Weapons Storage and Security System at
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at 13 sites in seven countries. Additionally 34 WS3 vaults were built for the
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is a system including electronic controls and vaults built into the floors of
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Bechtel
National Inc. (USA), Main contractor for the construction program
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safely or securely store nuclear weapons). Secondarily, it also posed an
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Weapons
Storage and Security System vault in raised position holding a
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Deputy
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Nuclear Matters,
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readiness forces stored their nuclear bombs in heavily secured
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and infiltration compared to existing igloo-style bunkers.
180:. Historically the system was also called within NATO the
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Image of a WS3 vault holding
British WE.177 nuclear bombs
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
521:Nuclear Information: US nuclear weapons in Europe
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364:Nuclear Matters: A Practical Guide - Appendix C
217:trouble to return the weapons to the bunkers.
182:Weapon Security and Survivability System (WS3)
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551:United States nuclear command and control
451:U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe, 1954–2004
208:in Europe, US and NATO bases used by the
186:Weapons Survivability and Security System
163:Weapons Storage and Security System (WS3)
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
397:, Department of Defense, archived from
367:, Department of Defense, archived from
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27:System used on NATO military airfields
69:"Weapons Storage and Security System"
7:
498:Hans M. Kristensen (February 2005),
58:adding citations to reliable sources
18:Weapon Storage Security System (WS3)
457:, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
427:, 7 June 1988, HC Deb vol 134 c547W
329:List of established military terms
288:United States Air Forces in Europe
286:215 WS3 vaults were built for the
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509:Natural Resources Defense Council
261:. One vault can hold up to four
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424:Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
45:needs additional citations for
501:U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
419:"Weapons Storage and Security"
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478:Paul Sparaco (3 March 2000),
167:Protective Aircraft Shelters
236:persistent chemical weapons
142:Protective Aircraft Shelter
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546:Military logistics of NATO
448:(November–December 2004),
527:, Flanders & Brussels
259:Hardened Aircraft Shelter
270:and no vehicles needed.
140:. The vault is within a
481:WS3 Sustainment Program
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556:Nuclear weapon safety
444:Robert S. Norris and
302:in Germany and 24 at
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525:Friends of the Earth
298:nuclear bomb; 10 at
214:weapon storage areas
210:Quick Reaction Alert
54:improve this article
446:Hans M. Kristensen
394:Nuclear Chronology
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174:military airfields
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334:War reserve stock
178:B61 nuclear bombs
169:(PAS) on several
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399:the original
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369:the original
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339:Supply depot
306:in Britain.
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