Special Weapons Directorate (Arab Union)

The Special Weapons Directorate (Arabic: ادارة الأسلحة الخاصة idārat al-asliḥah al-khāṣah) is a civilian agency under the Ministry of Defence of the Arab Union. It is responsible for the assembly, maintenance, transportation, storage and eventual disposal of mainly nuclear warheads, in addition to other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), collectively termed "special weapons" by the military.

While defence industry manufacturers provide several payload delivery options (such as the ballistic missile), legal permission to manufacture actual warheads of the WMD category is held exclusively by the Special Weapons Directorate, which is also the only entity permitted to handle WMDs apart from those military units armed with special weapons and relevant logistical support. The Special Weapons Directorate divides its responsibilities between three main departments:


 * 1) the Engineering Department assembles new warheads from multiple component parts, most of which are custom ordered from third party manufacturers and the rest manufactured on site in advance, and also handles repairs and routine maintenance of existing warheads;
 * 2) the Logistics Department is responsible for safely and securely storing all functional special weapons not in active rotation (not kept in arsenal), transporting special weapons between storage and active rotation, and keeping detailed logistical records to ensure accurate and precise location of a warhead in real time or at any interval between immediate future and original production.