The Present

Our culture at Detonator Production blends independent innovation and collaboration—ideas are conceived by individuals, brought to fruition as a group, and continuously improved by all. Together we work toward a unified goal: to maintain global peace and stability by ensuring a strong U.S. nuclear deterrent is in place.

Detonators fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory today are the result of real-time innovation. Our highly skilled experts work hands-on with every component for every type of detonator. Even though automation is an integral part of the production process, human oversight is necessary to guarantee the highest quality components and assembly.

From our goal grew a credo: Identify a problem, find a solution, verify the solution, and then standardize that solution.

Collaboration is key

Making detonators is a collaborative effort within Detonator Production; however, with an average of 130 employees, our workforce cannot do it alone. Detonator Production is supported by a variety of internal groups, such as Non-Destructive Testing and Production Agency Quality, as well as design agencies across the National Security Enterprise. Together we ensure that what is designed is buildable and what is built is of excellent quality.

Deployed support

Detonator Production is an impressive powerhouse driven by a remarkable workforce. For certain responsibilities, we rely on professionals who officially report to other divisions across the Laboratory. We work closely with those divisions to identify skills along with aligned values and behaviors to deploy talented personnel to partner with us. Deployed personnel integrate with Detonator Production and collaborate to complete necessary tasks, projects, and ongoing initiatives. Examples of some groups that provide deployed support include quality assurance, acquisition management, computer support, document control, financial analysis, human resources, writing and editing, training, and security.