---
category: U.S. Government
location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
start: 1945
summary: Sandia National Laboratories is a U.S. national laboratory that conducts
  research and development in nuclear weapons and other areas.
tags:
- Organization
- Research
- Nuclear
- USA
---

Sandia National Laboratories is a U.S. national laboratory that conducts research and development in nuclear weapons and other areas. By the late 1960s, much of the [United States](/places/united-states/)' primary analysis of nuclear intelligence had shifted to laboratories like Sandia and [Los Alamos](/places/los-alamos/), where intelligence units dealing with the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/) and [China](/places/china/) had been set up after World War II. These units began monitoring the transfer of nuclear technology and countries viewed as "nth" nations, or near-nuclear countries.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 11.