Disposal, Destruction and Disarmament: Comparative Analysis of US Chemical Weapon and Weapons Plutonium Stockpile Reductions

The elimination of stockpiled weaponry constitutes a key step in arms control and disarmament processes, lending permanence irreversibility to reductions. Yet it has proven challenging practice. destruction advanced weapon components, like lethal chemical agents the fissile materials from which nuclear weapons are constructed, is often technically complex costly. To elucidate dynamics this back-end article compares two representative cases involving analogous challenges but divergent outcomes: nearly complete US stockpile stalled efforts shrink plutonium stockpile. Drawing both engineering organisation theory, technical social distinctions between these assessed identify factors governing their outcomes. This analysis shows that bases for reductions were broadly cases, thus fail explain divergence. Rather, differing organisational characteristics among responsible institutions proved decisive. These fostered either adaptive (in case) or path-dependent planning, influencing ability entities pivot maintenance an unfamiliar mission.