More than six decades after Hiroshima and almost two since the end of the Cold War, the US nuclear weapons stockpile is undergoing an extensive and expensive life-extension program to ensure the continued safety, security, and reliability of the legacy weapons well into the future. The current stockpile does not meet post-Cold War national security challenges. Today's challenge is to sustain and modernize the US nuclear weapons infrastructure with minimal risk and cost. Lt Col Ed Vaughan advocates that to mitigate the risks and address the highly uncertain future security environment, the recapitalization of US nuclear weapons should begin immediately.