L-053 A guidance methodology for conducting threat and hazard assessments

It is well understood that munitions are intrinsically hazardous items, and hence the hazards that can result from a munition when it experiences a threat environment during its life will always be of concern to the user. Hence, fundamental requirements in the design of any munition has to be its ability to withstand these life cycle threats and an assurance that any resulting hazard is either eliminated or minimized. For these design criteria to be achieved, a Threat and Hazard Assessment (THA) has to be conducted on the munition. Both the IM STANAG and its associated AOP-39 call for the nations ratifying these documents to provide, amongst other requirements for evaluating the insensitiveness of a munition, the results of any threat and hazard assessments that have been conducted and the methodology that has been used. The basis of what is involved in a threat and hazard assessment is outlined in AOP-39, but the document does not give any detailed guidance on how such assessments should be conducted.