I have a question about nuclear weapons. Anyone here know much about them?

[PamW]

76. NOT TRUE!!

The nature of Nuclear weapons is that unless someone uses them within a few years of making them OR rebuild them to keep them active, they will naturally become useless as weapons within less then 10 years.
=================

That's NOT TRUE. The USA has nuclear weapons in its enduring stockpile that are a few decades old. In fact, the last "new" weapons were designed in the late '80s. So the USA's newest weapons are about 30 years old, and the US nuclear weapons labs still certify them as reliable and safe.

The US weapons labs do LEP - Life Extension Programs on weapons to essentially bring them up to date as you might your computer:

Extending the Life of an Aging Weapon

https://str.llnl.gov/Mar12/obrien.html

The weapons labs research new tools / methods for non-destructive testing, some of which have other applicaitons:

Weapons Diagnostic Technology Revolutionizes Cancer Treatment

https://str.llnl.gov/OctNov11/caporaso.html

Enhancing Confidence in the Nation's Nuclear Stockpile

https://str.llnl.gov/JulAug10/allen.html

Deterrence with a Minimum Nuclear Stockpile

https://str.llnl.gov/JulAug10/comJulAug10.html

in which Principal Associate Director Goodwin of LLNL states:

SOME people think of the nation’s nuclear weapons as immutable and inert objects sitting somewhere on a shelf, sometimes for decades, but capable of performing flawlessly if they are ever needed. In truth, nuclear weapons are more like vastly complex chemical experiments slowly evolving in ways we are still coming to fully understand. Inside these aging systems, metals can corrode and weaken, plastics can break down and release destructive gases, and other components, subject to continuous high radiation and external temperature extremes, can behave and interact in unforeseen ways.

Hope that is illuminating.

PamW