atomic weapons establishment (AWE)

AWE Management Limited
The United Kingdom’s Atomic Weapons Establishment is managed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence under a Government-owned/contractor-operated arrangement. This means that the AWE sites and facilities remain in Government ownership but responsibility for operations and the employment of the workforce is contracted to a private company.

The first management contract was awarded in 1993. Following a competition held by the MOD, the contract for a second term was awarded on 1 April 2000 (co-incidentally AWE’s 50th anniversary), to AWE Management Ltd. for a period of ten years. In January 2003 the contract was extended to 25 years.

AWE Management Ltd. is an equal partnership consortium formed by Lockheed Martin, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), and SERCO. It brings together the experience of its parent companies in the fields of industry and commerce, defence and nuclear technology.

A key factor in the new management contract is a partnering arrangement between AWE Plc and the Ministry of Defence, which will ensure inward investment and the efficient, cost effective and safe delivery of AWE’s programmes to meet the requirements of the UK Ministry of Defence.

Atomic Weapons Establishment AWE has been central to the defence of the United Kingdom for more than 50 years – providing and maintaining the warheads for the country’s nuclear deterrent.

Among the nuclear powers, AWE is unique in its responsibility for nuclear warheads throughout their life cycle – from initial concept, research and design, through component manufacture and assembly, to in-service support and, finally, decommissioning and disposal.

The Trident submarine-launched ballistic weapons system is currently the UK’s only nuclear deterrent in both the strategic and sub-strategic roles. AWE’s prime task over the next 20-30 years is to maintain the warheads for Trident. It must also sustain a capability to design a warhead to succeed Trident should the UK Government ever consider that necessary.

Following the UK’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, this will have to be done without recourse to nuclear testing and, as a result, AWE will face a whole new range of research and development challenges.

At the same time it will continue to dismantle redundant nuclear weapons, decommission old buildings and clean up industrial legacies, while making major environmental improvements at its two major sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire and investing in new purpose-built facilities.

Links with universities will be increased to maintain expertise in various diverse fields of science and technology. Overall, AWE aims to be recognised for its vital importance to the nation’s defence and as a world-class company and centre of scientific and technological excellence.

Links:

• AWE Web Site