AFPD13-5 governs Air Force policy for managing the nuclear mission, including nuclear operations, forces, surety, and mission oversight.
View AFPD13-5 on armypubs.army.mil
It defines Air Force nuclear operations and the nuclear mission, and establishes policy for organizing, training, and equipping nuclear forces. It requires nuclear weapons surety, accountability, resource advocacy, and periodic comprehensive Nuclear Mission Assessments.
Nuclear operations are that portion of the range of military operations pertaining to nuclear weapons and include deterrence, crisis response, strike, assessment, and return to stability. (paragraph 1)
The Air Force nuclear mission consists of the people, organizations, processes, procedures, and systems conducting, executing, and supporting nuclear operations, and developing and implementing nuclear policy and guidance. (paragraph 1)
Organizes, trains, and equips those personnel, weapons systems (i.e., intercontinental ballistic missiles; dual capable long-range bombers; dual capable fighters; tankers; and nuclear command control and communications), support forces (e.g., space, missile warning, and communications systems; and airlift, reconnaissance/surveillance, and command and control assets), and support infrastructure (e.g., wing command posts and mobile support teams) required to conduct robust, reliable, flexible, and survivable nuclear operations in support of U.S. national security objectives and U.S. Government international agreements. (paragraph 2)
Develops and implements nuclear weapons surety policies, procedures, controls, and actions to contribute to the reliability and safety of nuclear weapons and ensure the absence of nuclear weapon accidents, incidents, unauthorized detonations, or degradation of weapon effectiveness during the stockpile-to-target sequence of the nuclear weapon. (paragraph 2)
Accountability encompasses the obligation to report to appropriate authorities any incidents that are inconsistent with existing Air Force policies and instructions including, but not limited to, AFI 1-1, Air Force Standards. (paragraph 2)