1978: secret factsheet on uranium not for the public

DEPLOYMENT OF STABALLOY MUNITIONS FOR A-10
Date: 1978 August 30, 00:00 (Wednesday)
Canonical ID: 1978STATE221419_d
Original Classification: SECRET
Character Count: 19092
Executive Order: GS
Locator: TEXT ON MICROFILM,TEXT ONLINE
TAGS: MILI - Military and Defense Affairs--General | MPOL - Military and Defense Affairs--Military Policy and Planning | NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Concepts: BRIEFING MATERIALS | METALLOIDS | NUCLEAR FUELS | STABALLOY | URANIUM
Type: TE - Telegram (cable)
Office Origin: ORIGIN EUR - Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Archive Status: Electronic Telegrams

From: Department of State
To:Germany Bonn | Italy Rome | Russia Moscow | United Kingdom London
 
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE221419_d.html

SUMMARY: FACT SHEET, POTENTIAL Q'S AND A'S AND PROPOSED NEWS RELEASE BELOW ARE FOR EMBASSY INFORMATION AND USE IN DISCUSSING STABALLOY DEPLOYMENTS WITH HOST GOVERNMENTS AND SHOULD NOT REPEAT NOT BE COMMUNICATED TO PRESS OR PUBLIC. DEPARTMENT AND OSD ARE CURRENTLY DRAFTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS GUIDANCE WHICH WILL BE FURTHER REFINED AS A RESULT OF EMBASSY DISCUSSIONS WITH HOST GOVERNMENTS (SEE SEPTEL).

I. FACT SHEET

BEGIN TEXT.

STABALLOY IS THE NAME GIVEN TO METAL ALLOYS MADE PRIMARILY OF DEPLETED URANIUM COMBINED WITH OTHER METALS TO GIVE THE DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS. DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) IS THAT PORTION OF THE METAL URANIUM WHICH REMAINS AFTER THE VALUABLE U-235 ISOTOPE HAS BEEN EXTRACTED TO MAKE NUCLEAR FUEL RODS OR PRODUCTS FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS. DU, WHICH CONSISTS ALMOST ENTIRELY OF THE MORE COMMON URANIUM ISOTOPE KNOWN AS U-238, CANNOT SUSTAIN A NUCLEAR CHAIN REACTION. SINCE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN PROCESSING NATURAL URANIUM DURING WORLD WAR II, OVER 200,000 TONS OF DEPLETED URANIUM HAS ACCUMULATED IN VARIOUS STORAGE SITES. THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN DEPLETED URANIUM IN 1964 WHEN RESEARCH WAS BEING CONDUCTED ON ARMOR AND ARMOR PENETRATORS. ALLOYS CONTAINING DU WERE FOUND TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR PIERCING ARMOR. STEEL, NICKEL AND LEAD ALL HAVE DENSITIES TOO LOW TO BE EFFECTIVE PENETRATORS. TUNGSTEN COMES THE CLOSEST, BUT IS STILL NOT AS GOOD A PENETRATOR AS STABALLOY. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE NO NATIVE SOURCES OF TUNGSTEN IN THE UNITED STATES, AND RAW MATERIAL AND FABRICATION COSTS ARE HIGHER. BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH DENSITY, DU IS USED IN MACHINE TOOL BORING BARS, OIL WELL COLLARS AND IN SUCH DELICATE INSTRUMENTS AS GYROSCOPES (ROTOR ASSEMBLIES). THE METAL IS ALSO USED AS COUNTERWEIGHTS IN AIRCRAFT. (FOR INSTANCE, SOME 747 CIVILIAN AIRLINERS USE DU IN WING COUNTERWEIGHTS.) IT HAS EVEN FOUND APPLICATION IN THE COLORING AGENTS USED IN CERAMICS. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT USES OF DU IS AS A SHIELDING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS IN WHICH HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS LIKE COBALT 60 ARE STORED AND USED. THE STABALLOY MUNITION FOR USE IN THE A-10 AIRCRAFT CONSTITUTES NO SIGNIFICANT RADIOLOGICAL HAZARD. THE U.S. AIR FORCE SURGEON GENERAL HAS DETERMINED THAT THE SURFACE EXPOSURE RATE OF A STABALLOY ROUND IS ONLY 0.2 MILLIROENTGEN PER HOUR, MEASURED THROUGH 7 MILLIGRAMS PER CENTIMETER SQUARE. THE US OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HAS ESTABLISHED AN ACCEPTABLE DOSE RATE OF 18.75 REMS PER 3 MONTHS FOR HANDS AND 1.25 REMS PER 3 MONTHS FOR THE HEAD AND TRUNK. BASED ON THESE FIGURES, A PERSON HOLDING A ROUND IN HIS HAND 24 HOURS A DAY FOR 3 MONTHS WOULD RECEIVE ONLY 2.3 PERCENT OF THE ALLOWABLE EXPOSURE. BECAUSE OF THE SHORT EFFECTIVE RANGE OF THE RADIATION, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF ROUNDS TO WHICH A PERSON IS EXPOSED WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE DOSAGE UNLESS HE WERE EXTREMELY CLOSE TO ALL OF THEM. BECAUSE OF THIS LOW EXPOSURE, NEITHER PROTECTIVE GARMENTS NOR SHIELDING IS REQUIRED DURING HANDLING OF THE MUNITIONS. DUE TO THEIR COST, THE STABALLOY ROUNDS WILL NOT BE USED FOR TRAINING OR TARGET PRACTICE. THEY ARE INTENDED FOR USE ONLY IN ACTUAL COMBAT. THE U.S. NAVY PLANS TO USE A 20MM STABALLOY ROUND IN ITS PHALANX GUN SYSTEM, AND THE U.S. ARMY IS CONSIDERING STABALLOY FOR POSSIBLE USE IN ITS 105MM TANK ROUND.
END TEXT.

II. POTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

BEGIN TEXT

1. Q: HOW MUCH DEPLETED URANIUM IS IN STABALLOY?
A: STABALLOY IS 99.25 PERCENT DEPLETED URANIUM, 0.75 TITANIUM.

2. Q: WHAT IS DEPLETED URANIUM?
A: DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) IS A BYPRODUCT OF THE ENRICHMENT PROCESS THROUGH WHICH MATERIAL USED FOR REACTOR FUEL AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS REMOVED FROM URANIUM. DU IS A HEAVY METAL USED AS COUNTERWEIGHTS IN SOME MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT. IT IS ALSO USED AS A SHIELDING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS IN WHICH RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS SUCH AS COBALT ARE STORED AND USED. IT PROTECTS PEOPLE CARRYING SUCH CONTAINERS BY SCREENING THEM FROM THE RADIATION THAT WOULD EMANATE FROM THE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL WITHIN THE CONTAINER.

3. Q: IS STABALLOY RADIOACTIVE?
A: STABALLOY CONTAINS URANIUM AND URANIUM IN ALL FORMS IS RADIOACTIVE -- AS AN ORE IN ITS NATURAL STATE, AS A REFINED METAL, AS A MACHINED ARMOR PENETRATOR, AS FRAGMENTS REMAINING AFTER IMPACT, OR AS AN OXIDE PRODUCED ON BURNING. THE DU COMPONENT OF STABALLOY IS PRODUCED AS A BYPRODUCT OF THE GASEOUS DIFFUSION PROCESS THROUGH WHICH URANIUM METAL CONTAINING A HIGHER CONTENT OF THE U-235 ISOTOPE (ENRICHED URANIUM) IS PRODUCED FROM NATURAL URANIUM. (NATURAL URANIUM METAL CONTAINS THREE ISOTOPES -- U-234, U-235 AND U-238 -- BUT HAS ONLY 0.7 PERCENT OF U-235 AND .005 PERCENT OF U-234.) THUS, DU IS THE RESIDUE OF THIS PROCESS, WHEREBY ONLY A PORTION OF THE ORIGINAL U-235 AND U-234 CONTENT REMAINS. DURING THE REFINING AND ENRICHMENT PROCESS, THE RADIOACTIVE DECAY PRODUCTS (DAUGHTERS) OF THE URANIUM ISOTOPES ARE REMOVED FROM THE DU. BECAUSE OF THE LONG PHYSICAL HALFLIFE (4.5 BILLION YEARS) OF U-238, THERE WILL BE NO SIGNIFICANT BUILDUP OF DAUGHTER PRODUCTS IN DU DURING THE TIME-FRAME UNDER CONSIDERATION.

4. Q: HOW RADIOACTIVE IS DU?
A: THE ACTIVITY OF A RADIOACTIVE SOURCE IS A MEASURABLE PROPERTY PROPORTIONAL TO THE RATE AT WHICH THE SOURCE DECAYS (NUMBER OF NUCLEAR DISINTEGRATIONS PER UNIT TIME). THE UNIT USED TO EXPRESS ACTIVITY IS THE CURIE (CI). A CURIE IS DEFINED AS THE QUANTITY OF ANY RADIOACTIVE NUCLIDE IN WHICH THE NUMBER OF DISINTEGRATIONS PER SECOND IS 37 BILLION. THE US NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) GIVES THE DEFINITION OF A CURIE OF NATURAL URANIUM AS THE SUM OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: 37 BILLION DIS/SEC FROM U-238 37 BILLION DIS/SEC FROM U-234 4 0.9 BILLION DIS/SEC FROM U-235 THUS, ONE CURIE OF NATURAL URANIUM CORRESPONDS TO 74.9 BILLION DIS/SEC. THIS CURIE REFERS TO JUST THE THREE RADIONUCLIDES U-234,U-235 AND U-238, AND DOES NOT CONSIDER THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACTIVITY FROM DECAY PRODUCTS (DAUGHTERS) WHICH ARE ALSO RADIOACTIVE. APPROXIMATELY FOUR METRIC TONS OF STABALLOY YIELDS ONE CURIE. THIS IS A VERY LOW ACTIVITY -- TWO GRAMS OF RADIUM YIELDS APPROXIMATELY THE SAME ACTIVITY. ANOTHER COMPARISON CAN BE MADE USING A TERM CALLED THE "SPECIFIC ACTIVITY". THIS IS THE NUMBER OF CURIES IN A GRAM OF A RADIOISOTOPE. THE SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF U-238, THE MAJOR ISOTOPE OF DU, IS 3.33 TIMES 10 TO THE MINUS 7 CURIES PER GRAM (C:/S) -- NOT VERY RADIOACTIVE BY COMPARISON TO OTHER COMMONLY USED RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS.

5. Q: WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS INVOLVED IN HANDLING STABALLOY?
A: HEALTH RISKS FROM HANDLING STABALLOY ARE LOW, BUT DO EXIST. THEY ARE OF TWO KINDS -- RADIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL TOXICITY. THE DEGREE OF RISK DEPENDS UPON THE CHEMICAL FORM; THAT IS, WHETHER IT IS SOLUBLE OR INSOLUBLE.

- SOLUBLE. CURRENT EXPOSURE LIMITS FOR SOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS ARE BASED ON HEAVY METAL CHEMICAL TOXICITY. INGESTING SOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS RESULTS IN CHEMICAL DAMAGE TO THE KIDNEYS -- AND NOT RADIATION DAMAGE TO BODY TISSUES. SOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS ARE RAPIDLY EXCRETED, AND ARE CONSIDERED LESS TOXIC THAN LEAD OR OTHER HEAVY METALS. THE PRESENT URANIUM CONFERENCE OF GOVERNMENTAL INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS (UCGIH) THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES (TLV) FOR WORKERS FOR EXPOSURE TO URANIUM IS 0.2MG/CUBIC METER. THE TLV FOR LEAD IS 0.15MG/CUBIC METER. THE UCGIH TLV'S HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE U.S. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA) AS NATIONAL EXPOSURE LIMITS FOR U.S. WORKERS.

- INSOLUBLE. INSOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS DO NOT POSE A CHEMICAL TOXIC HAZARD. LARGE DOSES OF INSOLUBLE COMPOUNDS ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY TOXIC TO THE KIDNEYS. INHALATION OF INSOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS LIKE URANIUM OXIDE RESULTS IN LONG-TERM RETENTION IN THE LUNGS AND ASSOCIATED LYMPH NODES. PULMONARY NEOPLASMA DEVELOP FROM HIGH EXPOSURES (ABOVE TLV) FOR LONG EXPOSURE PERIODS. INSOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUNDS ARE THEREFORE CONSIDERED AS LOW-LEVEL RADIATION HAZARDS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION (ICRP). THE MUCH-PUBLICIZED LUNG CANCERS IN URANIUM MINERS ARE NOT ATTRIBUTABLE TO URANIUM EXPOSURES. THE URANIUM EXPOSURES IN THESE MINERS ARE MINIMAL BECAUSE URANIUM ORE MAY CONTAIN ONLY A PERCENT OR LESS OF URANIUM. THE LUNG CANCERS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE INHALATION OF THE RADON IN THE MINE AIR AND TO THE SUBSEQUENT DISPOSITION OF THE RADON DAUGHTERS IN THE LUNG TISSUES. THE RADIATION FROM THE DECAY OF THIS SERIES OF RADIONUCLIDES (RADIUM SERIES) IS BELIEVED TO INITIATE BRONCHIAL CANCERS. OBSERVATIONS OF WORKMEN EXPOSED OCCUPATIONALLY TO AIR CONCENTRATION OF URANIUM EVEN SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE CONCENTRATION NOW PERMITTED BY THE NRC HAVE FAILED TO SHOW ANY EVIDENCE OF URANIUM INJURY EITHER FROM RADIATION EXPOSURE TO THE LUNG OR FROM THE TOXIC CHEMICAL EFFECT ON THE KIDNEY FROM URANIUM CARRIED BY THE BLOOD. THESE OBSERVATIONS INCLUDE MEN EXPOSED DURING A 20-YEAR PERIOD.
THE STABALLOY CONTAINED IN THE 30MM ROUND IS A SOLID METAL ALLOY AND IS ENCASED IN AN ALUMINUM SHELL WITH A STELL JACKET. IT THEREFORE CANNOT BE INGESTED OR INHALED DURING HANDLING. THE ALUMINUM AND STEEL CASING EFFECTIVELY SHIELDS THE BETA-EMITTED RADIATION FROM THE PENETRATOR SO THAT THE ALUMINUM SURFACE EXPOSURE RATE OF GAMMA RAYS IS ONLY 0.2 MILLIROENTGEN (MR) PER HOUR MEASURED THROUGH 7 MILLIGRAM PER SQUARE CENTIMETER (HG/SPARE CENTIMETER).

6. Q: WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS INVOLVED IN MANUFACTURING STABALLOY?
A: ALL MANUFACTURING IS DONE IN THE US IN ACCORDANCE WITH LICENSES ISSUED BY THE NRC. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IS USED TO INSURE WORKERS ARE NOT EXPOSED ABOVE THE TLV OR CURRENT US RADIATION EXPOSURE LIMITS.

7. Q: IS STABALLOY A RADIOLOGICAL HAZARD IN TERMS OF US HEALTH STANDARDS?
A: THE SURFACE EXPOSURE RATE OF A STABALLOY ROUND MEASURED THROUGH 7 MILLIGRAMS PER CENTIMETER SQUARED IS ONLY 0.2 MILLIROENTGEN PER HOUR. THE US OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HAS ESTABLISHED AN ALLOWABLE WORKER EXPOSURE LIMIT OF 18.75 REMS PER 3 MONTHS FOR HANDS AND 1.25 REMS PER 3 MONTHS FOR THE HEAD AND TRUNK. THIS EQUATES TO 75 REMS AND 5 REMS RESPECTIVELY FOR A YEAR'S PERIOD. THE NRC HAS ESTABLISHED THESE SAME ANNUAL WORKER LIMITS, AND RESTRICTS NON-WORKER EXPOSURE TO ONE-TENTH THESE VALUES. BASED ON THESE FIGURES, A PERSON HOLDING A STABALLOY ROUND IN HIS HAND 24 HOURS A DAY WOULD RECEIVE ONLY 2.3 PERCENT OF THE ALLOWABLE EXPOSURE LIMIT. THIS IS LESS THAN HALF THE ALLOWABLE RADIATION EMMISSION FOR HOME TV RECEIVERS AND AIRPORT SECURITY MACHINES. THE STANDARDS SET BY THE US BUREAU OF RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH, ACTING UNDER THE RADIOACTIVE CONTROL FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT OF 1968, LIMIT RADIATION EMISSIONS FROM HOME TV RECEIVERS AND CABINET X-RAY SYSTEMS USED FOR AIRPORT BAGGAGE INSPECTION SYSTEMS TO 0.5 MILLIREMS PER HOUR AT 5 CENTIMETERS FROM THE SURFACE. THESE DEVICES, BY COMPARISON WITH THE STABALLOY ROUND, ARE FAR MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE EXPOSURE TO HUMAN BEINGS.

8. Q: COULD STABALLOY PRODUCE CANCER?
A: THE CANCER-PRODUCING POTENTIAL OF STABALLOY IN MAN IS NOT FULLY KNOWN. NEOPLASMS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN THE LUNGS OF LABORATORY ANIMALS, BUT ONLY AFTER EXCESSIVE EXPOSURES (5MG U/CUBIC METER) TO URANIUM OXIDE DUST FOR FIVE YEARS. SOME SARCOMAS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN RATS FOLLOWING PACKING OF FINELY GROUND URANIUM METAL INTO THE BONE MARROW CAVITY. HOWEVER, STABALLOY WORKERS HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED AS HAVING AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CANCERS OVER THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THE US DESPITE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN INDUSTRY.

9. Q: WHAT SCIENTIFIC AUTHORITIES ARE YOU RELYING ON IN THESE ANSWERS?
A: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION IN RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, THE US NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION, AND HE BUREAU OF RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH (DEPT. HEW).

10. Q: WHAT ARE THE RESIDUAL HEALTH PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH ITS RADIOACTIVITY THAT MIGHT RESULT FROM ITS WARTIME USE?
A: NO SIGNIFICANT HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RADIOACTIVE PROPERTIES OF STABALLOY PENETRATORS ARE FORESEEN FROM WARTIME USE. AFTER THE FIGHTING, THE CIVILIAN POPULATION WILL FACE A HIGHER RISK FROM UNEXPLODED MUNITIONS AND OTHER RESIDUALS FROM MILITARY ACTIONS. LIMITED AND RECOVERABLE LAND CONTAMINATION COULD OCCUR FROM DU AS DISCUSSED ABOVE. A CIRCUMSTANCE OF ALL STABALLOY PENETRATORS CARRIED BY AN A-10 AIRCRAFT BEING DEPOSITED IN THE SMALLEST POND CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING FISH (1000 SQUARE METER AREA, WITH 1500 CUBIC METER WATER) AND ASSUMING ALL PENETRATORS EXPOSED DIRECTLY TO THE WATER WOULD RESULT, AFTER 100 YEARS, IN A CONCENTRATION OF URANIUM LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE CONCENTRATION ESTABLISHED BY THE NRC IN US TITLE 10 CFR, PART 20 (APPROXIMATELY 8.3410 TIMES 10 TO THE MINUS 7 UCI/CUBIC CENTIMETERS VERSUS 2 TIMES 10 TO THE MINUS 5 UCI/CUBIC CENTIMETERS). IN OTHER WORDS THE POND WOULD REMAIN USEABLE BY HUMANS.

11. Q: IS STABALLOY A RADIOLOGICAL WEAPON?
A: NO, ITS EFFECT COMES FROM THE IMPACT REPEAT IMPACT OF THE PENETRATOR, NOT FROM ANY RADIOACTIVE PROPERTY OF THE ROUND.

12. Q: ACCORDING TO METAL EXPERTS, TUNGSTEN IS HARDER THAN DEPLETED URANIUM. IF THAT'S SO, WHY ISN'T IT A BETTER PENETRATOR THAN STABALLOY?
A: TUNGSTEN IS HARDER, BUT WHEN USED WITH NECESSARY ALLOYS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH AND DURING ACTUAL LIVE FIRE TESTS HAS NOT PROVEN TO BE AS EFFECTIVE. IN ADDITION, RAW MATERIAL AND FABRICATION COSTS ARE HIGHER.

END TEXT.

III. PROPOSED NEWS RELEASE

BEGIN TEXT 

THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE WILL SOON BEGIN PREPOSITIONING SPARE PARTS, EQUIPMENT AND AMMUNITION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY IN ANTICIPATION OF THE FIRST BASING OF A-10 AIRCRAFT OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. ADVANCE PREPARATION IS NECESSARY PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW AIRCRAFT IN EUROPE. THE BASING OF THE A-10 IN EUROPE WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF NATO AIRPOWER AGAINST WARSAW PACT GROUND AND ARMORED FORCES. THE A-10 IS DESIGNED FOR CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT AND ANTI-ARMOR OPERATIONS. IT IS ABLE TO MANEUVER UNDER THE LOW CLOUD CEILINGS COMMON IN EUROPE, USE TERRAIN AND MANEUVERABILITY FOR PROTECTION, AND REMAIN ON TARGET FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. THE A-10 CAN CARRY A COMBAT LOAD OF BOMBS AND AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES, PLUS THE 30MM GAU-8 GUN WHICH CAN FIRE UP TO 4,000 ROUNDS PER MINUTE. THIS INTERNALLY-MOUNTED GATLING GUN, THE MAIN REASON FOR THE AIRCRAFT'S EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST ARMORED VEHICLES, IS THE FIRST OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT TO USE A STABALLOY ROUND. STABALLOY IS A METAL ALLOY MADE OF DEPLETED URANIUM COMBINED WITH OTHER METALS TO GIVE IT THE DESIRED ARMOR-PIERCING CHARACTERISTICS. DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) WHICH IS USED IN SOME COMMERCIAL 747 AIRCRAFT FOR COUNTER-WEIGHTS, IN SHIELDING FOR RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS, AND IN OIL WELL COLLARS AND MACHINE TOOLS, IS ONE OF THE BYPRODUCTS FROM PROCESSING OF NATURAL URANIUM. STABALLOY'S EXTREME DENSITY AND WEIGHT (HIGHER THAN LEAD) ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE 30MM ROUND, WHICH OPERATES ON THE KINETIC ENERGY PRINCIPLE OF PROPELLING AN EXTREMELY DENSE MATERIAL AT A HIGH VELOCITY, STABALLOY AS CONTAINED IN THE A-10 MUNITION, PRESENTS NO SIGNIFICANT RADIATION HAZARD AND REQUIRES NO SPECIAL HANDLING OR SHIELDING.

AS ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE A-10 WILL BE BASED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AT RAF STATIONS BENTWATERS AND WOODBRIDGE, AND WILL BE REPLACING THE F-4'S CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE 81ST TACTICAL FIGHTER WING. ALTHOUGH THEY WILL BE PERMANENTLY BASED IN THE UK, SOME A-10S WILL ROUTINELY OPERATE FROM A FORWARD BASE AT SEMBACH AB, FRG. OTHER FORWARD BASES ON THE CONTINENT WILL BE DESIGNATED LATER. PEACETIME DEPLOYMENT OF UP TO EIGHT A-10S IS PLANNED FOR EACH FORWARD OPERATING LOCATION, WITH PERIODIC ROTATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO HOME BASES IN THE UK.
 END TEXT.

FYI: SECOND IN SERIES OF THREE CABLES. PROPOSED PUBLIC AFFAIRS GUIDANCE, REFINED IN LIGHT OF ACTION ADDRESSEES' DISCUSSIONS WITH HOST GOVERNMENTS, WILL CONSTITUTE THE THIRD ELEMENT OF THIS SERIES. END FYI.

CHRISTOPHER

SECRET

NNN

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014