US: Establishment of Armed Forces Special Weapons Project
On January 29, 1947, Secretaries Robert P. Patterson and James V. Forrestal created the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project to manage military nuclear weapon responsibilities. The agency, staffed jointly by Army and Navy, relocated to Sandia Base, New Mexico.
Background
Background
In 1947 the USA took control of nuclear weapons following the Manhattan Project. The new body covered the military aspects that did not fall to the civilian Atomic Energy Commission.
Event
Robert P. Patterson (Secretary of War) and James V. Forrestal (Secretary of the Navy) issued a memorandum formally establishing the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP). It took on tasks such as training, assembly, and deployment of nuclear weapons. The organisation was staffed jointly by the Army and the Navy.
Location and Relocation
The Los Alamos Z-Division (Ordnance Engineering) and AFSWP established themselves at Sandia Base, New Mexico. The same highest level of secrecy applied there as previously at Los Alamos.
Significance
AFSWP prepared the armed forces for nuclear offence and defence. It coordinated with the AEC and strengthened nuclear readiness at the start of the Cold War. No UAP observations are documented; the relevance is military, for the 1947 context.