A small fix made in the name of "stockpile stewardship" is turning U.S. submarine–launched missiles into more precise weapons. An improved mechanism installed in aging warhead now makes it possible to adjust the height at which they detonate, according to three experts writing in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . This vastly increases the weapons' efficiency, the experts say, creating the impression that submarine-launched weapons could be used in a first strike against Russia's fixed missile silos. About 500 such warheads have been deployed on submarines; more than 1000 updated warheads are in production. The innovation could create "a deeply destabilizing and dangerous strategic nuclear situation," the authors warn.

中文翻译：

---

调整使美国核武器更精确，更致命

以“库存管理”的名义进行的一个小修复正在将美国潜射导弹变成更精确的武器。据三位专家在《原子科学家公报》上撰文称，安装在老化弹头中的改进机制现在可以调整它们的引爆高度。专家说，这大大提高了武器的效率，给人的印象是潜射武器可以用于对俄罗斯固定导弹发射井的第一次打击。大约 500 枚这样的弹头已经部署在潜艇上；1000 多枚更新的弹头正在生产中。作者警告说，这项创新可能会造成“严重破坏稳定和危险的战略核局势”。